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THE KED BOOK 



MICHIGAN 



CIVIL, MILITARY jb^DNBIO GRAPHICAL HISTORY 




BY -P d 

CHARLES LAN%.iI^ 

ACTHOR "dictionary OF CoK^R^^," BTO. 

o 



DETROIT: 
E. B. SMITH & COMPANY 

WASHINGTON : 

PUILP i SOLOMONS. 

1871. 



jfT^l 



^ 



.V 



t 



\ 




\ 
\ 

according to Act of Congresj^ in *»» year eighteen hnndred and eeventy, by 
In the ofiBce of the Libri^an ^nSongrees at Washington. 



CORRIGENDA 



A few tyjxi^M-aphical errors have boon di.soovorod siiico this volmiio wont 
to pross, wliicli tlio reader will please correct as follows: 

1'age 9. For La llonton read La Hontan. 

" 88. " Greenley " Greenly. 

" 91. " Robert INIcClellan read MvClcllawl. 

" 101. " Mahew read Mai/hcw. 

" 101). " this talile of population substitute that on i)at(o r)()7. 

" 41(5. Transfer names of J. J. iV: L. B. Adams to pi-ecodinir ptiii'O. 

" 43<). For Labodee read Labadec 

'' 47'). '' Zini Pitcher read Zinn. 

" 497. " G. L. AVIdting read n'hlfur;/. 

" 515. " Mharles M. Cnolev read Thomas. 



PREFACE. 



The Compiler of this volume \s a native of Michigan, and although long 
an exile from its borders, he has never lost his affection for the beautiful 
country. He has revisited it a number of times, and in a former publica- 
tion did what he could to make known its physical attractions and aborigi- 
nal lore. Wliilst cognizant of the fact that an admirable History of the 
Territory was in existence, and that one or two good Gazetteers of the State 
had been published, he felt convinced that there was still needed, for the 
use of the general public, a more comprehensive volume, and that want he 
has now endeavored to supply. His leading object has been to prepare an 
authentic book of reference, rather than to make any display as a writer; 
and while he has been contented to perform the duties of a literary scout, 
the success of his present enterprise has been assured by the effective artil- 
lery of James 11. Lanman and General John Robertson. To the first, who 
is a relative of the Compiler, he is indebted for the history of the Territory, 
from its earliest settlement down to the organization of the State; and the 
latter, who was the able and indefatigable Adjutant-General of Michigan 
(luring the War for the Union, has contributed a complete account of the 
important part which the State took in subduing the Rebellion. Not only 
has he chronicled the action of the Legislature, but he has taken special 
care to place upon the record, in compact form, the heroic achievements of 
the Officers and Soldiers who have honorably identified their names with 
(he State of their nativity or adoption. 

With regard to the biographical part of this volume, the Compiler alone 
is responsible. Although most of this information has been obtained from 
original sources, he did not deem it advisable to amplify his records more 
than was absolutely necessary. He regrets, however, that a few of his 
notices are more brief than they should have been; and, if any persons have 
been omitted altogether, who deserved notice on account of their a-ssociation 



iv PllEFACE. 

witli Michigan, it is because his efforts to obtain the proper data were un- 
successful. His leading intention has been merely to give the salient points 
in the lives of the persons who pass under consideration, referring the reader, 
who may desire further information, either to the historical narratives in 
the present volume, or to the more elaborate biographies hitherto published. 
Indeed, so far as the numerous officers are concerned, who acquired reputa- 
tion during the Rebellion, or died the death of heroes, their services were 
found to have been so well depicted by General Robertson, that the Com- 
piler has generally omitted their names altogether in his department of the 
work. To the many friends who have kindly assisted him, by their corre- 
spondence, he would tender his grateful acknowledgements. And, to the 
People of IMichigan, he now dedicates this Historical Record, as an ex- 
pression of his regard for their superior intelligence, persevering enterprise 
and exalted patriotism. 

CHARLES LANMAN. 

Georgetown, D. C, November, 1870. 



CONTEXTS. 



FIRST PART. 

CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

General Description of (he Stale. — Its .Soil and Scenery; Heavily Timbered Land 
Oak Openings; Burr Oak Plains; Prairies; Rivers; Lakes; Wild -Ani- 
mals ; Birds and Fishes 



First Advance of the French Missionaries and Travellers. — Breboeuf; Daniel ; Pijart; 
Raymbault ; First Arrival of White Men at Saut de Ste. Marie ; Father 
Jacques Bressani ; Chaumonotot ; Claude Dablon ; Mesnard ; Lallemand ; 
Dreuillette; Gareau; Mesnard Advances to Che-goi-ne-gon; Allouez; Mar- 
quette ; Indian Council at Saut de Ste. Marie ; Marquette's Explorations and 
Death; La Salle; His Explorations ; Micfiilimackinac Founded ; Death of 
La Salle ; Saut de Ste. Marie ; Fort St. Joseph ; Detroit Founded by Cadil- 
lac ; Early Condition ; Attacked by Ottawas and Foxes; Hennepin; La 
Ilontan ; Charlevoix ; Their Operations on Lakes Erie, Huron, Michi- 
gan, and Superior 

Colonial Pioneers. — Merchants ; The Rangers of the W^oods ; Th? French Peas- 
antry ; The Jesuits ; French Soldiers ; French Policy ; Indian Mythology : 
Frontier Posts, and the Fur Trade at Michilimackinac and Detroit 

Struggle Between France and England for Possession — The Iroquois and Algonquins ; 
British Troops Advance into Canada ; Battle of Quebec ; Death of Wolfe 
and .Montcalm ; British Detachment under Rogers takes Possession of 
Michigan; Rogers traverses Lake Erie ; Pontiac makes his First Appear- 
ance; Bellestre ; Surrender of Detroit 

Condition of (he Country under the English. — Pontiac forms a Confederacy to attack 
the English Posts; War breaks out; Siege of Detroit; Battle of Bloody 
Bridge; Indians assemble around Michilimackinac; Minavavana; Alex- 
ander Henry; W'awatam ; Michilimackinac destroyed; General Brad- 
street arrives ; Peace concluded; Death of Pontiac 

The Fur Trade and American Independence. — Hudson's Bay Company; English 
Administration of the Law; Criminal Trial ; Quebec Act; Mineral Rock 
oc Lake Superior; North-west Company ; American Revolution ; Expedi- 
tions from Detroit; Indian Council held at Detroit ; American Indepen- 
dence established 

Organization of the North-western Tcrritori/. — Arthur St. Clair appointed Governor ; 
English refuse to surrender the Posts: Indian Disaffection ; Indian Coun- 



Vi CONTENTS. 

PAQB 

cil at Detroit; Message from the Spanish Settlements on the Banks of the 
Mississippi ; Campaign of General Hnrmar; Campaign of General St. 
Clair; Campaign of General Wayne; Extension of French Settlements; 
Michigan surrendered to the United States; Condition of the Territory in 

connection with the Fur Trade; Currency employed in the Fur Trade 58 

Condition after the Surrender of the Posts. — Michigan erected into a Territory ; Gen- 
eral Hull appointed Governor; Detroit destroyed by Fire; Administration 
of the Law ; Third Indian Confederacy under Tecumseh and the Prophet; 
Le Marquoit; Land Office established; Walk-in-the-Water ; Population 
in 1811 ; Memorial from Michigan praying Aid from the General Govern- 
ment; Savage Outbreak; Operations on the Wabash; American Fur 

Company 64 

War beticeen Great Britain and the Vinied States. — Defenceless condition of Michi- 
gan ; Representations of William Hull ; Appointed to Coram;ind the West- 
ern Army; Crosses to Sandwich and Addresses the Canadians ; Policy of 
Prevost; Surrender of Detroit; Tecumseh; Conduct of Hull; Expedition 
to the River Raisin; Capture of Chicago ; Battle of the River Raisin; 
General Harrison's Campaign ; Commodore Perry ; His Victory on Lake 
Erie; General Harrison arrives at Maiden ; Marches to Detroit ; Battle of 
the Thames ; Death of Tecumseh ; His Character ; Attack on Mackinaw ; 
Peace concluded 69 

Transition from Territory to State. — Lewis Cass appointed Governor of the Terri- 
tory ; Its (condition at that Time; Public Lands brought into Market; 
First Steamboat on the Lakes ; University Founded ; Expedition to Explore 
the Lakes; The Clinton Canal; G. B. Porter appointed Governor; Mode 
of making Surveys; Controversy with Ohio; State Organized 79 

nistory as a State and Present Condition. — Admission of Michigan into the Union 
as a State; Stevens T. Mason the first elective Governor; Act passed for 
establishing University of Michigan ; Other Events of his Administration ; 
Organization of the Militia; Administration of William Woodbridge and 
J. Wright Gordon ; Branches of University Established ; Grand Lodge of 
Free Masons ; John S. Barry Elected Governor; Administration of Alpheus 
Felch and William L. Greenly ; Epaphrodilus Ransom elected Governor; 
Progress of Agriculture ; Re-election of Governor Barry ; Great Rail- 
road Conspiracy Case; Commercial Advantages of Michigan ; Adminis- 
tration of Robert McClelland and Andrew Parsons ; Election and Re-elec- 
tion of Kinsley S. Bingham ; Ship Canal at the Falls of St. Mary; Moses 
Wisner elected Governor; Election to the same Office of Austin Blair, 
Henry H. Crapo, and Henry P. Baldwin; and Complete List of Governors 
nnder French, English, and American Rule 85 

Education. — University of Michigan ; Its Professors and Instructors; General 
Features ; Homeopathic Controversy ; Action on the Admission of Women 
as Students: Possessions and Advantages ; Observatory; Adrian College ; 
Albion College ; Kalamazoo College ; Michigan Female College ; State 
Agricultural College; Hillsdale College; Public Schools of the State; 
Slate Normal School ; State Reform School ; Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb 
and Blind; Superiutendents of Public Instruction; Asylum for the In- 
sane; State Prison ; Public School Statistics; Union School System, and 
List of Incorporated Literary Institutions 91 



CONTEXTS. vii 



PAGg 



AgricvKure. — Population and Statistics; Government Lands: Value of Crops ; 

Fruit Culture ; Counties of the Stale ; Increase of Population lO.'i 

Mineral Wealth. — Copper Interest of Lake Superior; Iron Interest of the Same: 
Salt Sprincrs of Saginaw: Plaster Beds of the Grand River ; Magnetic 
Waters of Eaton Rapids; Chronological History of Geological Explora- 
tions in Michigan 107 

Railroads. — Michigan Central Railroad :uid its Hrancliosj; Michigan Southern 
Railroad and Branches ; Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad ; Flint and Pere 
Marquette Railroad ; Amboy, Lansing and Traverse Bay Railroad; Condi- 
tion of New Railroads 115 

Lumbering Interest. — The Pine Forests: The Hard-wood Forests: Amount of 
Lumber Manufactured : Climate of the Lumber Region ; Various Attrac- 
tions 120 

The Fisheries. — Their Commercial Value; Variety of Fish Taki'u : Principal Lo- 
calities where the Business is Carried on 124 

Commerce. — The Great Lakes; Their Coast Line and Area ; The Steamboat and 
other Shipping ; P^uropean (Consumers of Grain ; The Northern Peninsula ; 
The Southern Peninsula; Resources of the State; Ship Canal of St. 
Mary; Indebtedness of the State ; Banking Institutions 126 

The Indians and Antiquities vf the State. — The Number of Indians in tho State ; 
Their Annuities and Condition; Ancient Gardens and Mounds; Ancient 
Mining on Lake Superior ; The Mound Builders ; Indian Names of Michi- 
gan 1 130 

Recent Developments. — The Grand Traverse Region ; The Sand Dunes on Lake 
Michigan; The Saginaw Valley, Its Lumber, Salt Springs and Gypsum 
Beds: The Straits of Mackinaw; Mackinaw City; The Cheboygan Re- 
gion, its Lumbering and Agricultural Interests 133 

Notes. — Order of Odd-Fellows ; Nativities of Population 140 



SECOND PART. 

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Militari/ Department of Michigan from 1861 to 1871 143 

Prefatory Notes. — Love of Michi-ran for the Old Flag; Necessity of an Historical 

Record; Origin of the Information i.,.. 144 

Introductory. — The American Rebellion ; Unprepared condition of Michigan; Val- 
edictory Message of Governor Moses Wisner ; Sentiments of Governor 
Austin Blair; War Meeting in Detroit; Flag Song of Michigan Troops; 
Organization of Troops and provision for Ways and Means ; Special Session 
of the Legislature and its Action; Curious Telegram 146 

Raising of Troops. — The First Regiments ; The Secretary of War to the Governor 
of Michigan; Camp of Instruction; Progress of Recruiting; Message of 
Governor Blair; Action of the Legislature; Re-inforcements Demanded; 
Action of the Adjutant General; Patriotism of the Churches; Additional 



Viii CONTENTS. 

PAOB 

Troops sent to the Front; Particulars of the Draft; Military Census; Ap- 
peal from Governor Blair; Report from Adjutant General Robertson; 
Gratitude of the Legislature ; Michigan Cavalry ; Enrollment of Districts; 
A new Draft ; Another Report from the Adjutant General ; Veteran Troops ; 
Another call for Troops; Proclamation of Governor Blair; Continued 
Organization; Troops furnished by Counties; Action of Legislature; Val- 
edictory Message of Governor Blair; Legislature thank the Retiring Gov- 
ernor; Governor Crapo's Inaugural; Soldiers thanked by Legislature; 
Total number of Michigan Troops by Counties ; Conscription ; End of the 
War ; Proclamation of thanks from Governor Crapo ; Governor Baldwin 
comes into Office; Nativities of Michigan Volunteers; Analysis of Vol- 
unteers; Table of Casualties; Table of Dates and Places when and 
where the Troops of the State were mustered in, and mustered out of the 
Public service 150 

Financial Statistics. — Amount of the money expended by State for Enlisting 
Troops; Amounts paid by Counties; Appropriation by Legislature for 
Soldier's Home; Disbursements by Colonel George W. Lee 195 

Sanitary Operations. — Michigan Soldier's Relief Association ; Report of James M. 
Edmunds; Operations of the Association; The Christian and Sanitary 
Commissions; The Ladies' Aid Society of Kalamazoo ; State Sanitary 
Fair; Appeal from Citizens to the Ladies; Response of the Ladies, and 
their Appeal to the People ; Success of the Fair; The Christian Commis- 
sion and Delegates to the Commission 197 

Volunteer Surgeons. — Bright Array of Names 208 

Soldier's Vote in the Field. — Letter of the Executive; Commissions for Army of 

the Potomac ; For Army of the Cumberland ; For Army of the Tennessee; ^ 

and for Army of the Gulf; Result of the Vote for Presidential Electors 

and Governor 210 

Reception of Troops. — Committee of Reception ; Committee of Finance ; Courte- 
sies of Railroad and Steamboat Companies 212 

Presentation of Colors. — Adjutant General's Report; Letter of Major John H. 
Knight ; Attendance of Soldiers ; A War Poem ; Number of Flags Present- 
ed 213 

The Harper Hospital. — Its Success and final Transfer into a Soldier's Home 217 

The Soldier's and Sailor's Monument. — Measure Inaugurated ; Board of Directors ; 
OflBcers and Committees, Adoption of Design by Randolph Rogers ; Plan 
of Monument ; Corner Stone laid by the Masonic and Odd Fellow Fraterni- 
ties ; Oration by Governor Blair 218 

Cemeteries at Gettysburg, Sharpsburg, and Andersonville. — Appropriation by Legis- 
lature ; Appointment of T. W. Ferry as Commissioner ; Appointment of 
John I. Bagley as Trustee ; Andersonville 221 

Rebel Raid from Canada. — Adjutant General's Report ; Action of the Confederate 
Secretary of the Navy ; Manifesto of the Confederate President ; Tele- 
grams and Letters from Lieutenant-Colonel B. H. Hill and Commander J. 
C.Carter; The Steamers Philo Parsons and Michigan 222 

The Michigan Contingent. — Heroism of Michigan Troops; Various Campaigns; 

Their Motto 231 



CONTENTS. ix 

PAOE 

Regiment of Engineers and Mechanics. — Colonel William P. Innes ; Engagement at 
Lavergne ; Opinions of Greeley and Rosecrans; Services in the Atlanta 
Campaign; Colonel John Yates 233 

The Cavalrg Brigade. — First Regiment ; Colonel T. F. Broatihead ; Colonel Charles 
H. Town ; Fifth Cavalry, Colonel J. T. Copeland, Colonel Freeman Nor- 
vil, Colonel R. A. Alger ; Sixth Cavalry, Colonel T. W. Kellogg, Colonel 
George Gray ; Seventh Cavalry, Colonel W. D. Mann ; General A. S. Wil- 
liams ; Operations of the Michigan Cavalry Brigade ; Justice granted by 
Congress ; Michigan Senators and Representatives; Report on Conduct of 
Michigan Troops at Gettysburg by General Custer; The Michigan Cavalry 
in Maryland ; Report of Colonel C. H. Town ; Report of General Kilpat- 
rick ; Report of Colonel Alger ; Report of General Custer on Virginia 
Campaign ; Raid of General Kilpatrick ; Another Report by General Cus- 
ter on operations around Richmond ; Losses during Campaign ; Additional 
Reports of Colonels Alger and Kidd ; Report of Colonel Peter Stagg ; Gen- 
Custer's Report of Winchester Campaign ; Services of Staff Officers ; Cap- 
tors of Battle Flags; Heroic Deaths; Final Actions of the Brigade 235 

The Second Cavilnj.—Co\on(i\ F. W. Kellogg; Colonel Gordon Granger ; Point 
Pleasant in Missouri; Colonel P. II. Sheridan, Boonville ; Operations in 
Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee ; Colonel Archibald Campbell ; 
Battle of Chicamauga ; Further Operations; Colonel Tiiomas Johnson; 
Continued Engagements 265 

The Third Cavalry. — Colonel J. K. Mizner: New; Madrid, in Missouri; Battle of 
luka; Report of Captain L. G. Wilcox; Tribute of General Rosecrans ; 
Services in Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi ; Arkansas Cattle ; Michi- 
gan City ; Escort to General Canby ; On duty in Texas 270 

The Fourth Cavalry.— Q,o\ont\ R. H. G. Minty ; First Battle at Stanford, in Ken- 
tucky ; Numerous Engagements in Tennessee and Mississippi ; Its Fight- 
ing Reputation ; Major F. W. Mix; Battles of Chicamauga and Missionary 
Ridge; Minty 's Report: Lieutenant J. H. Simpson; Major Horace Gray; 
Death of Lieutenant Edward Tucker; Death of Lieutenant Randolph; 
Rebel Testimony ; Death of Lieutenant T. W. Sutton ; General Kiipatrick's 
Raid; Operations near Jonesboro ; Famous Charge Under Minty ; Private 
William Bailey's Exploit; Operations Around Atlanta; Corporal C. M. 
Bickford ; Colonel B. F. Pritchard ; Attack on Selina and its Capture ; 
Capture of Jefferson Davis; Official Notes and Names of Officers and 
Men at the Capture ; Distribution of the Reward 273 

The Eighth Cavalry. — Colonel John Stockton ; Its Bright Record ; Lieutenant- 
Colonel G. S. Wormer ; Capture of General Morgan ; Major Edgerly ; Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Mix ; Operations Against the Forces of General Hood 287 

The Ninth Cavalry. — Colonel James I.David; Pursuit of General Morgan and his 
Further Fighting Operations in Tennessee and Kentucky; With General 
Sherman on his March from Atlanta to the Atlantic ; Morgan's Escape 289 

The Tenth Cavalry.— Colonel Thaddeus Foote ; Colonel L. S. Trowbridge ; Affair 
at Watauga River; Death of Captain Weatherwax ; Service with General 
Stoneman ; Affair at Abbott's Creek ; Incident at Strawberry Plains ; 
Further Operations in that Vicinity 292 



X CONTENTS. • 

PAOS 

The Eleventh Cavalry. — Colonel S. B. Brown ; Operations at Saltville and Marion, 
in Virginia; Captain E. C. Miles; Death of Colonel Mason and Lieuten- 
ant Davis ; Lieutenant-Colonel Charles E. Smith ; Subsequent Services 
in North Carolina 296 

The ^^ Merrill Horse" Cavalry. —Captains James B. Mason, Jabez H. Rogers and 

Almon E. Preston; Services in Missouri, Arkansas, and Georgia 298 

The Light Artillery. — Colonel C. 0. Loomis; The Brave Boy McTntire ; Report of 
General Rousseau ; Guenther's Battery; Death of Lieutenant Van Pelt; 
Captain W. S. Bliss ; Pittsburgh Landing ; With General Sherman at 
Atlanta ; Murder of Lieutenant Bliss ; Siege of Corinth ; Captains A. W. 
Dees; George Robinson; L. R. Smith; John C. Schultz; J. W. Church ; 
John J. Dennis; John S. Andrews; I'addockand C. H. Lamphere ; Oper- 
ations in the South-west ; Charles J. Thompson ; Edward J. Hillier ; Death 
of Captain S. De Gobyer at Vicksburg; Captains J. J. Daniels, C. H. 
O'Riordan, Charles Dupont, and Charles Heine 299 

The Sharp-shooters. — Colonel C. V. DeLand ; Battle of the WildernesB; Civilized 
Indians; Major Levant C. Rhines ; Corporal B. F. Young; Death of T. 
H. Gaffney ; of Lieutenant G. A. Graveraet ; Captain G. C. Knight and 
Lieutenant Martin Wager ; Before Petersburg ; Operations in Front of 
Petersburg; Colonel W. A. Nichols; The Fall of Petersburg and Rich- 
mond ; Michigan Troops the First to Enter Petersburg; Report of Gen- 
eral 0. B. Wilcox 305 

The First Irtfantry. — Colonel 0. B. Wilcox ; Opportune Arrival in Washington ; 
Colonel John C. Robinson; Colonel IL S. Roberts; Death of Captain 0. 
C. Comstock ; Second Battle of Bull Run ; Report of Chaplain Arthur 
Edwards; Death of Captains Wendell, Alcolt, Whittlesey and Pomeroy ; 
and Lieutenants Arnold, Garrison and Bloodgood ; Colonel Franklin W. 
Whittlesey ; Operations in Maryland and Virginia ; Death of J. B. Ken- 
nedy; At Gettysburg; In the Wilderness under Colonel W. A. Throop ; 
Death of Captain James H. Wheaton ; Major George Lockley ; Death of 
Captain L. C. Randell and Lieutenant W. S. WoodrufiF; Report of Gen- 
eral Wilcox on Operations in Virginia 310 

The Second Infantry. — Colonel J. B. Richardson; Colonel 0. M. Poe ; In Penin- 
sula Campaign; Bull Run ; Colonel Louis Dillman ; In Mississippi Cam- 
paign; Report of Colonel W. Humphrey; Battle of the Wilderness and 
Army of the Potomac ; Order of General R. G. Berry ; Testimony of Cor- 
respondents ; Rebellion Record ; Death of Lieutenants Sherman, Fletcher, 
and Williams; Report of General Wilcox; Colonel Ralph Ely 316 

The Third Infantry. — Colonel Daniel McConnell ; In Battles of the Peninsula ; 
Report of Colonel A. A Stevens; Colonel B. M. Pierce; Hia Report of 
Operations ; Colonel M. B. Houghton ; In Virginia and at Gettysburg; In 
the South-west 323 

The Fourth Infantry. — Complimented by General McClellan ; Death of Colonel 
Woodbury ; Report of Captain J. F. Randolph ; Colonel II. H. Jelfords and 
his Death ; Colonel Lombard ; His Death ; Death of Captain W. II. Love- 
land ; Reorganized and again in the Fi'.ld under Colonel J. W. Hall; Gen- 
eral Griffin 326 



CONTENTS. xi 

PAOB 

The Fifth Infantry.— Co\ox\c\ H. D. Terry; Xuraorous OflScers killed in the Vir- 
ginia Campaign ; Dea'liof Colonul John Gilluly; Colonel E.T.Sherlock; 
His Death; Colonel Pulford ; at Gettysbur.' and in Virginia; Numerous 
Casualties among Officers and Men ; Testimony of General Berry and Gen- 
eral Kearney ; Letter (rom Colonel Sherlock 328 

The Sixth Jnfan(n/.—]\a Isolation; Colonel F. W. Curtenitis ; Services at Haiti- 
more and New Orleans ; On Lower Mississippi ; Captain Charles E. Clark ; 
General T. Williams at Baton Rouge ; Colonel Thomas S. Clark ; His Re- 
port ; Exploit of Private Charles Dustin ; Complimented by Generals But- 
ler and Banks ; Transfer to Artillery arm of Service ; March on Mobile 
and its Surrender ; Reports of General Butler and Weitzel ; Miscellaneous 
Testimony 333 

The Seventh Infantry — Colonel Ira R. Grosvenor ; Heavy Losses at Antietam ; In- 
cluding Captains A. H. Zacharias and J. H. Turrill, and Lieutenants J. P. 
Eberhard and John A. Clark ; Death of Baxter; His Heroism at Freder- 
icksburg; Pennsylvania Campaign; Death of Colonel A.E.Steele and 
Lieutenant Slafter ; In Command of Miijor S. W. Curtis ; Operations in Vir- 
ginia; Sergeant A. Smith's Exploit and Reward; Colonel Lapointe ; Par- 
ticulars respecting Captain A. II. Zacharias ; Death of Lieutenant John J. 
Brown 336 

The Eighth Infantry. — Colonel W. M. Fenton ; Called the Wandering Regiment ; 
Death of Adjutant N. M. Pratt and Lieutenant F. M. Badger; Nine Battles 
in four States ; James Island ; Death of Captains S. C. Gould and B. B. 
Church; At Bull Run; In Maryland; Mississippi and East Tennessee; 
Siege of Knoxville ; Wilderness ; Death of Colonel F. Graves ; Colonel R. 
Ely ; Cold Harbor ; Death of Lieutenant E. A. Nye, Major W. E. Lewis, 
and Lieutenant T. Campbell ; Weldon Road ; Death of Major Belcher at 
South Mountain ; Major R. N. Doyle at Petersburg ; Report of Colonel W. 
M. Fenton of Operations at Wilmington Island ; Report of General Ste- 
vens ; Tribute to Major Belcher by General J. D. Cox 340 

The Ninth Infantry —Colonel W. W. Duffield ; Defence of Murfreesboro ; Death 
of Lieutenant A. Chase ; Battle of Stone River ; Colonel W. Wilkinson ; 
Operations in Georgia ; Death of Lieutenant 0. F. Fox 345 

The Tenth Infantry. — Colonel C. M. Lum ; Services in Georgia; Buzzard's Roost; 

Jonesboro ; Bentonville 347 

77ie Eleventh Infantry. — Colonel William L. Stoughton ; His Report of Stone 
River; Colonel Melvin Mudge; Chicamauga; Death of Captain C. W. 
Newbern ; Mission Ridge; Death of Major B. G. Bennett; Loss of a Leg 
by Colonel Stoughton ; Death of Lieutenant E. Catlin 350 

The Twelfth Infantry.— Colonel W. H. Graves ; His Report of Operations at Mid- 

dleburg; Complimented by General Grant ; Services in Arkansas 352 

I'he Thirteenth Infantry. — Colonel Charles E. Stuart; Colonel Michael Shoemaker ; 
Operations in Tennessee ; Report of Colonel J. B. Culver ; Death of Cap- 
tain C. C. Webb ; Report of Colonel Shoemaker ; Report of Colonel Ilar- 
ker; Services in Georgia; Exploit of Julius Lillie, Orderly Sergeant 354 

The Fourteenth Infantry — Colonel Robert P. Sinclair ; In Alabama and (Jeorgia ; 
Jonesboro ; Bentonville ; Colonel II. R. Mizner ; Colonel G. W. Drummond ; 
March to Savunuah ; Capture of Flags , 357 



xii CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

The Fifteenth Infanirj/.— Colonel J. M. Oliver ; At Sliiloh ; Death of Captain G. A. 
Strong and Lieutenant M. W. Dresser; Corintli ; In Mississippi ; Alabama; 
In Georgia Campaign ; Colonel F. S. Hutchinson ; Numerous Engage- 
ments and extensive Marching ; Death of Captain C. H. Barnaby at 

Atlanta 360 

The Sixteenth Inf,i?itri/.— Colonel T. B. W. Stockton ; Gaines' Mill ; Miijor N. E. 
Welch ; Death of Captain T. C. Carr and Lieutenants B. McGraw and R. 
Williams ; Captain R. W. Ransom ; Death of Lieutenants M. Chitlick and 
J. Ruby at Malvern Hill; Colonel N. E. Welch at Middleburg; Death of 
Captain J. M. Mott and Lieutenants Brown, Jewett, and Borden at Gettys- 
burg, and R. T. Elliott at (he Wilderness ; Captains G. H. Swan and Guy 

Fuller; Major B, F. Partridge ; Death of Colonel Welch ; Incidents 362 

The Seventeenth Infantry.— Geneva! James E. Pittman ; Colonel W. 11. Withington ; 
South Mountain ; Death of Lieutenant George Galligan ; Report of Colonel 
F. W. Swift; Colonel C. Luce in Mississippi; Death of L. L. Comstofk ; 
Army of the Potomac; Death of Captain J. S. Vreeland and Lieutenant 

A. E. Canfield ; Reports of General Wilcox and General McClellan 365 

The Eighteenth Infantry.— Organized by Hon. Henry Waldron ; Colonel Charles C. 
Dooliitle ; In Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama ; Colonel Hulbard ; Cap- 
tain Moore ; Exploit 369 

The Nineteenth Infantry. — Colonel Henry C. Gilbert; In Department of the Cum- 
berland; A Surrender; Tribute from a Confederate Officer to Colonel 
Gilbert; In Atlanta Campaign ; Death of Colonel Gilbert and Captain C. 
H. Calmer; Major E. A. Griffin : His Death, and that of Lieutenant Charles 
Mandeville, and Captains C. W. Bigelow and John J. Baker; Atlanta to 
the Sea; Report of Colonel David Anderson; Death of Captain L. Gibbon 

and Lieutenant C. G. Purcell ; Note respecting Lieutenant Baldwin 372 

The Twentieth Infantry. — Tidus Livermore, Commandant; Colonel A.W.Wil- 
liams ; Services in Kentucky ; Colonel W. H. Smith ; Interview with Gen- 
eral Morgan ; Death of Lieutenant W. M. Green ; Commended by General 
Burnside ; In Tennessee ; Death of Colonel Smith ; Major Byron M. 
Cutcheon; At the Wilderness; Major George C. Ba nes ; Casualties at 
Spottsylvania; Alexander Bush and Frank Philips; Colonel C. B. Grant; 

Casualties in Peninsula Campaign 374 

The Twenty-first Infantry. — J. B. Welch, Camp Commandant ; Colonel Ambrose A. 
Stevens in Kentucky ; Colonel W. B. McCreery at Stone River ; Report of 
General Sheridan; Death of Colonel McCreery; Colonel L. K. Bishop in 

Georgia and South Carolina; Captain A. C. Prince 379 

The Twenty-second Infantry. — Hon. and Colonel Moses Wisner ; Colonel Heber Le 
Favour at Chicamauga; Brave Sergeant and Corporals; Death of Cap- 
tains W. A. Smith and E. Snell ; In Note; Story of Johnny Clem 382 

The Twenty-third Infantry. — Colonels David Jerome and M. W. Chapin ; In Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee; Colonel 0. S. Spaulding; Hard fought Battles; 
Major W. W. Wheeler; At Campbell's Station ; Spaulding's Report; Death 
of Lieutenant W. C. Stewart at Resaca; Death of Captain David M. Ave- 

rill at Franklin ; Service in North Carolina 384 

The Twenty-Fourth Infantry. — The " Iron Brigade ;" Colonel Henry A. Morrow ; 
Battle of Gettysburg ; Heroism of Privates William Kelly and Silburue 



CONTENTS. xiii 

PAGE 

Spaulding; Captain Albert M. Edwards ; Nine Standard Bearers killed or 
Wounded; Report of Colonel Morrow complimenting Heroic Officers; 
Speed, O'Donnell, Wallace, Safford, Grace, Humphreville Dickey, and 
Sbnttuck; On the Rappahannock; In the Wilderness; Death of Captain 
George Hutton and Lieutenant William B. Hutchinson ; Colonel Morrow 
Wounded; Death of Seville Chilson ; Siege of Petersburg; In Note; 
Patrick Maloney 388 

The Twenty-Fifth Infantry.— Won. II. G. Wells Coinniiuulant of Camp ; Colonel 
0. H. Moore; In Kentucky; Battle with General Morgan ; Touching inter- 
view between Union and Confederate Officers; General Ilartsuff; Legis- 
lature of Kentucky; The Rebel General Morgan on Colonel Moore's Gen- 
eralship; Various 0[)erations in Georgia; Colonel Benjamin F. Orcult ; 
Death of Adjutant E. M. Brutzman ; With the Army of General Sherman, 392 

The Twenty-Sixth Infantry.— The Skirmish Regiment; Colonel Judson S. Farrar ; 
Death of Captain John C. Culver; In the Army of the Potomac; Major L. 
Saviers ; A Tree cut down by Bullets at Spottsylvania ; Complinuiited by 
Generals Barlow and Miles ; at Cold Harbor ; Death of J. A. Lothain ; Cap- 
tain A. G. Dailcy ; Captain S. II. Ives; Present at Surrender of Leu's 
Army 397 

The Twenty-Seventh Infantry. — Colonel D. M. Fox ; In K^'ntucky and Tennessee; 
Major Samuel Moody; Services at Spottsylvania ; Death of Lieutenants 
Charles H. Seymour, Charles T. Miller, and Major Moody ; Caijtain K. S. 
Leadbetter; Death of Lieutenant J. W. Brennan ; Captain Cliarhs Wait 
at Petersburg; Death of Licutenmts Mason Vosperand Theodore S. Meade; 
Gallantry of Captain Wait and his War Cry of ' Furt or Xothiny ;" Hero- 
ism of Major Moody 400 

The Twenty -Ei'jhlh Infantry. — Hon. S. S. Lacy Commandant of Camp ; Colonel 
Delos Phillips; Colonel W. W.Wheeler; Battle of Nashville ; Joins the 
Army of General Sherman; Death of Lieutenant Matthew Holmes; Death 
of Lieutenant John E. Kenyon 405 

The Twenty-Ninth Infantry.— Eon. J. F. Driggs ; Colonel Thomas F. Taylor; Col- 
onel Charles C. Doolittle in Command of Decatur; Its Successful Defence; 
Nolansville; Death of Lieutenant F. Van Vliet; Colonel G. S. Wormer ; 
Service iu Michigan 406 

The Colored Regiment — Colonel Henry Barns; Lieutenant-Colonel W T. Bennett ; 
Colonel H. S. Chipman ; In Florida; In South Carolina; Death of Cap- 
tain A. E. Lindsey ; Operations at Georgetown, S. C; and .Mustered out at 
Charleston 403 

The Militia Guards.— The Scott Guard; The Detroit Light Guard; The Lyon 
Guard; Report of the Adjutant General on the .Militia of .Miciiigan, and 
conclusioa of the History of Michigan during the Rebellion 410 



THIRD TART. 
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 
The Names alphabetically arranged 



XIV CONTENTS. 

PAOB 

FOURTH PART. 

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

The Census of Michigan in 1870, (oflScially furnished for this work by the Cen- 
sus Bureau) 507 

State Officers of Michigan from 1836 to 1870 508 

The Judiciary of Michigan in 1870 509 

Presidential Electors of Michigan from 1837 to 1869 510 

Officers of the University of Michigan from 1837 to 1870 510 

Trustees of Michigan Colleges in 1870 515 

Books connected with the Territory and State of Michigan 517 

Newspapers of Michigan with their Publishers in 1870 518 

The Post Offices of Michigan in 1870 521 

Constitution of the State of Michigan 526 

Amendments to the Constitution 548 



FIRST P^RT. 

CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN 



CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE. 

Tlie name of ]\Iiclugan is derived from the Indian word Michsawgyegan, 
the moaning of which is the Lake Country. It is bounded on the north by 
Lake Superior; on the east by Lake.s Huron, St. CUvir, and Erie ; on the 
south by Ohio and Indiana; and on the west by Wisconsin and Lake 
Micliiiran; and the extent of its dominion is fifty-six thou.sand two liun- 
drcd and forty-tlnee square miles.* Ahmg the shores of Lake Erie there 
strctclics a belt of level and heavily-timbered land, bearing a growth of 
large and noble forest trees upon a low and level soil. The land gradually 
rises towards the centre tif the State, presenting a variegated scenery com- 
posed of tracts of dense wilderness, alternated with prairies, natui-al parks 
or oak openings, copses of burr-oak, marshes, barrens, and pine groves, 
each watered by small streams, lakes, or springs. That part of the State 
which borders Lake Superior is more bold and primitive, and is broken 
by mountains and plains, hills and valleys. The Porcupine ^lountains, 
which are the dividing ridge, and separate the waters of Lake Superior and 
Lake Michigan, are about two thousand feet high and abound in the 
charms of Alpine and imposing coast scenery. Many parts of this northern 
peninsula exhibit a bold, rocky, and sterile prospect, which caused one of 
the early French travellers — La Ilontou — to call this region " the fag end 
of the world." It abounds with forests of white and yellow pine, and will 
probably never be favorable for agricultural production, although it is a 
rich mineral region. The northern part of the lower peninsula, generally 
speaking, is flat and swamjiy ; the central and' southern portions are gently 
rolling, covered with groves of oak, alternated Avith tracts of heavily-tim- 
bered laud, are peculiarly favoraI)le for the production of wheat, which is 
the staple product, and present the most picturesque points of scenery, and 
rc-Jtuirces for even a dense population. 

The soil of IMichigan is various in its character. It is in general much 
more level than that of New Yoi*k and New England, being of alluvial 
formation, and comparatively free from rocks. The different species of 
.soil consist of heavily-timbered land, oak openings, burr-oak plains, prai- 
ries, and pine groves, each of which will be considered. 

27(6' hcnvilij-tbnbcred land consists of tracts which are densely wooded 
with a variety of large forest-trees, the principal of which are the black and 

'**' Additional information oa the topography of the State will be found in subsequent 

pngfs of Ibis volume. 

A* 



10 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

white walnut, oaks of different species, maple, ash, elm, linden, sycamore, 
hackberry, Cottonwood, aspen, locust, butternut, box or dogwood, poplar, 
whitewood, beech, cherry, sassafras, white, yellow, and Norway pine, hem- 
lock, spruce, tamerack, cedar, chestnut, and pawpaw ; as well as the smaller 
trees and shrubs, such as willow, alder, sumach, and honeysuckle, top:ether 
with the different kinds of undergrowth which are found in the Middle 
States. This timbered land is often found upon the borders of the streams, 
upon what are called bottoms, and also upon the ridges Avhich border them. 
It is discovered along the shores of the lakes from Monroe to Detroit, and 
thence to Lake Michigan, in a belt varying from five to fifteen miles in 
breadth. But a small proportion of the peninsular part of the State is, 
however, densely wooded. 

There are various other species of soil which constitute a beautiful 
variety, and which will be described in their proper order. The heavily- 
timbered soil is generally composed of a deep vegetable mold, sometimes 
mingled with clay, and produces a dense and luxuriant vegetation. Com- 
pared with the other sections of the State, it is gloomy, being generally 
more low and level, and it is more difficult to clear from the thick and 
tangled mass of trees which covers it ; but these disadvantages are made up 
by its fertility, and it yields in great abundance the grasses, oats, buck- 
wheat, potatoes, rye, and large crops of corn. Perhaps it is not so favor- 
able to wheat, being damp, from the fact that it is shut out from the sun, 
and also cold in its nature. 

In advancing into the interior of the State, across the narrow belt before 
described, we arrive upon a more dry and undulating soil — a species of 
land which swells into little hills like artificial mounds, and is called oak 
openings. This land is composed of a sandy loam, mingled sometimes with 
limestone pebbles, and appears light upon the surface, but, when laid open 
by the plough, turns black from the intermixture of lime in its composi- 
tion. The trees, consisting chiefly of whiteoak, scattered over the ground 
generally from ten to sixty feet apart, and extending for miles like culti- 
vated parks, now sweeping down to a clear stream, a fertile prairie, or the 
brow of a transparent lake, impress one with the idea that he is travelling 
through an old, rather than a newly-settled country. These openings con- 
stitute a feature which distinguishes this from most of the adjoining States. 
The land, although not as productive as some other kinds of soil, yields 
heavy crops of oats and abundant harvests of wheat, besides the ordinary 
products of the Middle States. Although containing apparently but a thin 
covering of decomposed vegetable matter, the absence of that material is 
made up by the admixture of lime in its composition, which is favv)rable to 
vegc^tation ; and in summer the surf;ice is almost entirely covered with red, 
yellow, white, and purple flowers, which, in their richness and beauty, are 
not known in the older-settled portions of the country, spreading a gor- 
geous carpet through the forest as far as the eye can reach. The surface 
of the oak openings also presents a turf of matted grass, which requires 
three or four yoke of oxen to break it up ; and, as you can ride for miles 
in a carriage under the trees that are thus widely separated, it docs not 
need so great an amount of labor in clearing it as the timbered land. The 
trees, however, are usually girdled in order to cfFect their decay. These 
oak openings extend throughout the greater part of the lower peninsula. 

Another species of soil of very great value is found in the State, com- 
mencing at the county of Jackson and studding the timbered land and oak 
openings from the head of the Kalamazoo river to the shores of Lake 
Michigan. It is chWmI burr-oak plains or openings; a soil which consists 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE. H 

of tracts spread over with groves of trees of a small size, called the burr- 
oak, with a rough bark and deep green foliage. They closely resemble 
cultivated orchards of i)ear trees, springing from a snil which is composed 
of a br>)\vn loam mingled with clay; yet they arc higlily productive, and 
arc deemed by tlie settlers of the greatest value, yielding in abundance the 
crops of the JNIiddle States — corn, oats, potatoes, buckwheat, rye, and all 
the products of the other kinds of S!)il. As the trees, like those of the 
whiteoak openings, are widely separated, this land requires but little clear- 
ing ; but four or five yoke of oxen are generally used to break it up for 
seeding. Corn to the amount of forty, and s:)metimes eighty, bushels to 
the acre is produced from these openings, and from forty to fifty bushels 
of oats. Thirty bushels of wheat to the acre are also frequently obtained 
from tliis land ; but the average amount may be placed at about twenty- 
five bushels. 

Scattered through the south and southwestern part, particularly upon 
the borders of the Kalamazoo, the Grand, and St. Joseph rivers are, what 
arc called prairies. These consist of a soil destitute of trees, and covered 
with a deep surface of black sand and vegetable mold. It is nioi-e i)ro- 
ductive than any other species, yielding very large crops of corn and j)ota- 
toes, as well as wheat, which is, bow-ever, apt not to be as clean as that on 
the openings. All other crops that are produced in this climate it yields 
in great profusion. These prairies throughout the State are comparatively 
small, but in Illinois they stretch out beyond the horizon like a sea. Being 
comparatively easy to cultivate, and producing so abundantly, tliey are 
always selected by the farmers before any other kind of soil. Tlie dry 
prairies on the banks of the Kalamazoo and St. Josepli rivers furnisli a 
soil equal to any other in the West, and frequently from thirty to fifty 
bushels of corn have been raised upon them the first season, without being 
ploughed or hoed ; and when the mold has been once subdued, from thirty 
to eighty bushels of corn, or forty of wheat, have been oljtained to the 
acre ; they are also very favorable for grass. 

Another species of soil found in the State is called wet prairies or marshes, 
tracts which are generally in i)art or in whole covered with water; and 
they produce a long coarse grass that is only favorable for winter stock, 
and make a fine ranging ground for horses and cattle in the spring. When 
drained, these wet prairies may be ccmverted into valuable meadow land. 

Another species of soil that we meet with in the interior is termed bar- 
ren.'f. They consist of tracts which are sparsely scattered over with stunted 
oaks or bushes, that would seem to indicate that tlie land is not fav(jrable 
to vegetation. It is found, however, that by cultivation it produces well. 

Tlie kind of soil which is called swamp or marsh land is found in consid- 
erable tracts in the greater part of the State. It is in winter covered with 
water, and has a deep mire, which is dangerous to the traveller, and is 
sprinkled here and there with a few scattering trees or groves of tamerack, 
which resemble pine. In many places these marshes are caused by beaver- 
dams. 

The mineral pi'oductions of the State are various, and some of great 
value. Although the soil of the lower peninsula is, as has been before 
remarked, of alluvial f )rmation, yet there are occ'asionally seen ledges of 
sandstone, which abounds in parts of the C(Hnities of Hillsdale, Jackson, Cal- 
houn, Kalamazoo, Livingston, Ingham, Eatvm, Barry, Shiawassee, Clinton, 
and other portions of the State. Gray limestone is also found ; and on the 
immediate shore of Lake Huron a greenish-colored clay lias been discov- 
ered. Indications of coal are apparent in the counties of Eaton, Ingham, 



12 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

and Shiawassee. On the banks of Grand river, near the Grand Eapids, 
beds of gypsum or phister occur, Avhich are of considerable importance. 
Salt-sjiriugs, used for the manufacture of salt, are scattered throughout a l 
considerable portion of the interior; and clay, sand, marl, bog-iron ore, v 
with other kinds, and springs tinctured with mineral qualities, especially 
sulphur, have been discovered in the eastern part of the peninsula, that will 
be of advantage for medicinal purposes. 

The shores of Lake Superior are rich in mineral wealth, especially cop- 
per, and a large mass of that metal, near the mouth of the Ontonagon 
river, of many thousand pounds' weight, excited the interest of travellers 
from the earliest period. Among the rocks on this part of the coast are 
to be found iron ore, prase, jaspar, carnelian, agate, sardonyx, and other 
rare stones of some value. 

The greater part of the State is also well watered by numerous rivers 
and small streams, which variegate the landscape, and flow into the sur- 
rounding lakes. The principal of these are the Raisin, Grand river, the 
Kalamazoo, the St. Joseph, the Huron, the Clinton, the Saginaw, and the 
Ontonagon. The Detroit, the St. Clair, and the St. Mary's cannot be prop- 
erly called rivers, as they are only straits which connect the lakes in the 
eastern and more level portions. Upon the eastern border of the State the 
rivers are sluggish, but as you advance into the interior they become more 
clear and rapid. The St. Joseph is a transparent and beautiful, though 
shallow stream, which meanders through the western part of the State over 
a bed of limestone rock and pebbles, and watering counties of great fer- 
tility, consisting of oak lands and prairies, flows into Lake Michigan. The 
Kalamazoo is also a clear but narrow river, that runs over a surface of 
sand, limestone rock, or pebbles, and, watering extensive and productive 
tracts of the State, empties into the same lake. The Grand river is the 
largest stream in the interior, and, after furnishing a convenient channel 
for navigation and large manufacturing advantages, empties into Lake 
Michigan at Grand Haven. There are various other streams of less import- 
ance, which furnish sites for manufacturing establishments, and eligible 
points for settlement on their banks. 

The little lakes scattered over the soil are another peculiar point in the 
scenery. These are clear, and abt)und with fish ; and in summer, when the 
vegetation upon their banks is in full bloom, appear like mirrors, where 
Nature, dressed in green and flowery robes, may admire her own beauty 
amid the solitude. 

But the great lakes which wash its shores are the most prominent feature 
of the State. These constitute much the largest body of fresh water on the 
face of the globe. To the eye they appear like oceans, and water the bor- 
ders of the forest for thousands of miles, from the State of New York to 
the regions of Canada lying along, the shores of Lake Superior, which are 
now ranged chiefly by tribes of Indians, fur traders, and miners. Their 
surges roll like those of the sea, and the mariner obliged to navigate them 
often encounters as dangerous storms as upon the ocean. Their waters, 
however, are not, like those of the open sea, of a blue cohn*, but have a 
tinge of green, from the fact that they are fresh. They were formerly 
exjjlored only by the bark canoes of the Indians, and were the theatre of 
the fur trade, which will be described hereafter; but are now crossed by 
steamboats of large tonnage, as well as vessels and ships of all sizes. 

The origin of the names of the great lakes is not wanting in interest. 
Lake Ontario was formerly called Lake Frontenac, while tliat of Erie is 
derived from a nation of Erries, who roamed alon^; the northern borders 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE. 13 

of Ohio, and were destroyed by the Iroquois. Lake Huron was termed 
Karegnondi, and also Lake of Orleans. Lake Michiji:an was called Lake 
Michigonong, and also Lake of Puans and Illinese, and Lake of the Dau- 
phin. Lake St. Clair was nan)ed l)y La Salle's expedition, from the day 
on wliich he entered the river. The length of Lake Superior is estimated 
at live hundred miles, and its breadth at one hundred and ninety. This 
lake is as clear as crystal, and the polished stones upon the bottom, as well 
as numerous shoals of fish, can be seen at a great depth. Lake ^lichigan 
is believed to be three hundred and thirty miles long, and sixty miles broad. 
Lake Huron is two hundred and sixty miles long, and, coastwise, three 
hundred and sixty; its breadth is one hundred and sixty miles. Lake I^rie 
is two hundred and eighty miles long, and its widest part is about sixty- 
three miles. Lake St. Clair is thirty miles long and twenty-eight miles 
broad. It is thus seen that this chain of lakes must furnish an important 
channel of navigation in the future commerce of the country. 

The wild animals of this as well as the other portions of the Northwest 
are various. The mammoth or mastodon once niamed through its forests, 
and its skeletons are now found below the surface.* Herds of budliloes 
roved over the prairies upon tlie borders ol" I-,ake Erie as late as 1720, and 
we have a full account of that liict from the early French travellers; but 
these have been driven, by the progress of emigration, to the plains which 
sweep along the base of the Rocky IMountains. The elk and moose and 
troops of deer formerly fed on the green herbage upon the banks of the 
Detroit ; but these have now retired to the more unsettled portions of the 
State. The wolverine, the black or brown bear, the wolf, the elk, the deer, 
moose, lynx, wild-cat, panther, f )X, marten, raccoon, porcupine, opossum, 
weasel, polecat, gopher, the black, red, gray, and striped squirrel, marmot 
or woodchuck, rabbit, hare, and various other species of animals, are now 
found in the interior. The beaver, the otter, the muskrat, and the mink 
inhabit the rivers and small streams, and furnished a valuable article of com- 
merce during the early French, English, and American fur trade. Of birds, 
the robin, the blackbird, the thrusli, the lark, the bluebird, difterent species 
of the sparrow, the wren, the \\\)odpecker, tiie brant, and the loon, the jay, 
and the cuckoo, are the most common. The forests shelter flocks of the 
wild turkey and the partridge. The grouse or prairie-hen swarms on the 
prairies. Pigeons appear in large flocks at particular seasons of the year, 
and the snipe and the white partridge are not uncommon. The eagle, the 
brant, the buzzard, and others of the vulture kind, the crow, the raven, the 
heron, and owls of dilferent species, the most distinguished of which is the 
great white owl, are among the carnivorous l)irds. Tiie streams and hikes 
abound with numerous si)ecies of wild ducks, of various and beautiful 
plumage. They fly in large flocks along the shores of the lakes, and feed 
in the marshes which fringe them, sometimes blackening the surface by their 
nundiers. The swan may sometimes be seen floating upon the waters; 
and flocks of wild geese, in the season of summer, collect around the small 
interior lakes, after their winter migrations, where they obtain their food 
IVoni the wild rice, which is the peculiar ))roduct of this region. 

The rivers, interior lakes, and surrounding waters of the country abound 
with lish. These are of various species and of delicious kinds. In the strait 
of St. Mary and Lake Superior they are of a more valuable sort, from the 

* In the collection of geological specimens owned by the compiler of this volume is 
a very large and p<>rfectly-preserved mammoth toolh, which was found near the mouth 
of the St. Joseph river iu Michigim. 



14 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

fact that the water of the hitter lake is clear and very cold. The quantity 
in the last-named lake is very great. The sisquovette, which are not tbund 
in other portions of the lake waters, are seen in great abundance in Lake 
Superior. They sometimes grow to the weight of eight or ten pounds. 

The principal fish which are found in the surrounding lakes and interior 
waters of the country are the sturgeon, whitefish, INIackinaw trout, salmon 
trout, common trout, muskalunge, pickerel, pike, perch, herring, the rock 
bass, the white and black bass, catfish, pout, common eel, bullhead, roach, 
sunfish, dace, sucker, carp, mullet, billfish, swordfish, bullfish, stcne-carrier, 
sheep's-head, tlie gar, and many other kinds. The muskalunge, ]\Iackinaw 
trout, and whitefish are deemed most valuable. The former is sometimes 
caught weighing forty pounds. The JMackinaw trout resembles in lustre 
and appearance the salmon. The whitefisli, a very delicious fish, is similar 
to the shad, with brighter scales, which appear like burnished silver. This 
fish has been celebrated by the French travellers from the earliest period, 
and Charlevoix, Avho travelled through this region in 1720, once declared 
that "nothing of the fish kind could excel it." Great numbers of trout 
and whitefish are taken upon the lakes and shijiped to Ohio, New York, 
and Pennsylvania, besides those which are consumed in the State. 

Tiie northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan, bordering on 
Lake Huron, has not yet been thoroughly surveyed and brought into mar- 
ket. The soil of this section of the State is not so favorable for agricul- 
ture as that of the southern portion. It is more wet and marshy, abounds 
with pine, and is broken by sandhills and swamps. It has been remarked 
that the portion of the State bordering on Lake Superior is broken and 
rocky ; and, although containing some elevated table-lands which may be 
adapted to cultivation, it may be considered unfavorable to agriculture. 
It has, however, been ascertained to be a rich mineral region. The most 
settled portion of the State has been organized into counties, as the ad- 
vance of population has required. 

From the brief view which has been taken of the productions of the soil, 
it is clearly perceived that it afibrds a variety of resources. The low and 
densely-wooded land upon the immediate shore of the lower lakes, where 
the streams run sluggishly over beds of clay, is strikingly contrasted with 
the more rolling character of the oak lands, extending from this belt 
towards the centre, dotted as they are by natural ponds of pure water, and 
coursed by more rapid streams, which have their beds upon sand or gravel; 
and these in turn are entirely distinct from the more primitive, rocky, and 
rugged portion lying in that part of the upper fjcninsula bordering on the 
shores of Lake Superior. Exhibiting difiereut degrees of fertility, the 
southern part, from its undulating character and its clear streams, affords 
a greater inducement for present settlement than the level strip to which 
allusion has been made, or the more primitive and rocky region of the 
north. It happens, accordingly, that emigration has in a great measure 
crossed this strip and sought the more rolling country, leaving the marshes 
and the mouths of the streams which flow into the eastern side; a section 
of the State somewhat unfavorable to settlement from the configuration 
of the land, but from the fact that it has been productive of the class of 
bilious disorders prevailing in the greater portion of our new country. 

FIRST ADVAxNCE OF THE FRENCH MISSIONARIES AND TRAVELLERS. 

The wide region stretching away in a luxuriant expanse of forest, river, 
and i:)i-airie, from the shores of the great lakes westward to the banks of the 



THE FRENCH MISSIONARIES AND TRAVELLERS. 15 

Mississippi, ■was first explored and colonized by the French, That portion 
of the French territory now comprised in the Canadas, the original- point 
of French settlement, was long the centre of its trade, commerce, and re- 
ligi')n; yet the government claimed the conntry, both by right of discovciy 
and appropriation, that extended far beyond tlie boundaries of their actual 
colonization. Nor werc^ the settlers who had established themselves upon 
the banks of the St. Lawrence at any time wanting in zeal and enterprise 
in extending their ex])lorations. It was early the avowed object of that 
government to carry the cross of the Roman Catholic Church to the re- 
motest bounds of the Western territory, and thus to secui-e the advantages 
of its great resources. The principal directors of the ecclesiastical estab- 
lishments that were collected at Quebec, found it their policy to become 
informed of the condition of the domain upon the great lakes; and as early 
as 1G;>4, the Jesuits, l>reba?uf and Daniel, joined a party of Ilurons who 
were returning from that walkd city, and, passing through the Ottawa 
river, raised the first hut of the Society of Jesus upon the shore of Lake 
Iroquois, a bay of Lake Huron, where they daily rang a bell to call the 
savages t) prayer, and performed all those kind offices Avhich were calcu- 
late(i to secure the confidence and aflx^ction of the tribes on the lake shores. 
In (u-dcr to confirm the missions, a college was f )unded in Quebec during 
the f illowing year; and a hospital was established at the same place for 
the unfortunate of every class, both civilized and savage. Three nuns of 
I)iep]3e, in France, were selected to advance into the Canadian wilderness 
in lGo9; an Ursuline convent, for the education of girls, was also erected; 
and at Silleri a small band of the Ilurons was trained to the civilization 
and faith of the French, for the purpose of spreading the religion and infiu- 
ence of their colonies through the Western wilderness. A plan iW the 
establishment of missions, not only among the Algonquins of the North, 
but als ) south of Lake Huron and in Michigan, was formed, indeed, within 
six years after the discovery of Canada. 

The French were at this period excluded from the navigation of Lake 
Ontario by the hostility of the Mohawks, and their canoes had never ruf- 
fled the waters of Lake Erie. The Ottawa, in consequence, was the only 
avenue to the West; and in 1G41, Pijart and Charles Raymbault were 
tbund roaming as missionaries among the tribes of Lake Nipissing. 

In .September, 1G41, the first bark canoe, laden with French Jesuits, was 
paddled through the Ottawa river for the Falls of St. Mary, and, passing 
by the islands of Lake Huron, they reached these falls after a navigation 
of seventeen days. At tliis place they f jund a large collection of Indians 
from tlie neighboring tribes, many of whom had never seen civilized men, 
and had never heard of the true God. The white men were invited to dwell 
among them ; for, said the savages, " We will embrace you as brothers ; we 
will (lerivc profit from your words." Ilaymbault, the first missionary to the 
tribes of Michigan, feeble with consumption, during the next year returned 
to Quebec. Thus the French at this early period had advanced their mis- 
sionary posts beyond the shores of Lake Huron and to the outlet of Lake 
Superior. Fatlu'r Jaqucs and Bressani, Jean de Ikebanif, Chaumouotot, 
Claude Dablon, ^lesnard. and others, while carrying the cross through the 
forcc^ts of the Northwest, were not to be impeded by tortures and burnings, 
nor death even, from their darling projects. They toiled and suffered, were 
struck d.,wn with the tomahawk ; they lived the life of beggars, and died 
the death of martyrs ; were covered with burning bark, and scalded with 
boiling water, and scarred with hot iron, until the gentle Lallemand cried 
out auiid his tortures, " We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to 



16 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

angels, and to men ;" but with the zeal of ancient martyrdom the Jesuits 
pressed on from the strongholds of Quebec, filling the ranks of the dead as 
one after another fell, advancing to the remote boundaries of the lake shores 
the cross and the lilies of the Bourbons. 

During the month of August, 1654, two young fur-traders having joined 
a band of the Ottawas or Algonquins, in their bark canoes, upon an explor- 
ation of five hundred leagues, reappeared after two years before St. Louis 
with a fleet of fifty canoes. Describing the territory stretching around the 
great lakes in glowing colors, and the savage hordes which were then scat- 
tered through the forests, they sought to eflect a wider extension of French 
commerce into that region. Their request was granted ; and in 1656, Gabri- 
elle Dreuillette and Leonard Gareau, former missionaries among the 
Hurons, were selected for the mission ; but just below INIontreal a band of 
Mohawks attacked their fleet, Gareau was mortally wounded, and the expe- 
dition prevented. The traders of the lakes, seeking the furs which abounded 
in those forests, and backed by the Western Indians, who desired a league 
by which they might resist the Iroquois, soon advanced to Green Bay, and 
in 1659 two of them passed the winter on the shores of Lake Superior. 
During the following year they returned to Quebec, escorted by sixty 
canoes, laden Avith peltry, and paddled by three hundred Algonquins. 

The zeal of Francis de Laval, the bishop of Quebec, appears to have 
been kindled, by their accounts of the country, with a desire tn enter upon 
the mission, but to Rene Mesnard was allotted this task, so full of hazard. 
Charged Avitli the duty of exploring the territory around Green Bay and 
Lake Superior, and of establishing at some convenient point a place for 
the general assembly of the neighboring tribes, this aged man, in August, 
1660, Avith but few preparations, departed on his mission, trusting, to use 
his own words, " in the Providence which feeds the little birds of the desert, 
and clothes the wild flowers of the forest." During the month of October 
he reached a bay on the south shore of Lake Superior, which he named 
St. Theresa ; writing to a friend, " in three or four months you may add 
me to the memento of deaths." After a residence there of eight months, in 
the year 1661, he complied with the invitation of the Hurons, who had 
taken refuge in the isle of St. IMichael, and, leaving his converts, advanced 
with one attendant to the Bay of Che-goi-me-gon. Lost in the forest, he 
was never afterward seen ; and among the amulets of the Sioux were dis- 
covered his breviary and cassock. 

But the rude missionary posts around the lakes struggled on, and were 
in danger of falling, when the Canadian colonies were re-enforced in 1 665 
by a royal regiment, with Tracy as viceroy, Courcelles, a veteran officer, 
as governor, and Talon, a man of business and perseverance, as intendant, 
and the representative of the King in civil matters. French enterprise now 
pressed forward to the West with increased vigor, and in August, 1 665, 
Father Claude Allouez, following the old course of the Ottawa, on the 1st 
day of October reached the principal village of the Chippewas in the Bay 
of Che-goi-me-gon. A chapel dedicated to the Holy Spirit soon arose 
amid the green luxuriance of the forest, and the passions of the rough 
tribes were subdued by paintings which the missionary displayed of the 
horrors of hell and the terrors of the final judgment. The dwellers around 
St. IMary flocked to his station ; the Hurons and Ottawas, upon the deserts 
north of Lake Superior, secured his ]>rosence at their wigwams ; and the 
Pottowatomies, from the borders of Lake Michigan, invited him to their 
homes, while the Sacs and Foxes travelled from their villages, and the Illi- 
nois came to gather counsel and to describe the beauties of their quiet 



THE FRENCH MISSIONARIES xVND TRAVELLERS. 17 

river. The Sioux, also, from the west of Lake Superior, in a land of prai- 
i'Il's, liviuG^ on wild rice and skin-covered cabins, welcomed the stranger. 
At'rer residing for nearly two years upon the southern margin of Lake 
Superior, in August of 1(567 he returned to Que])ec, and urged the cstab- 
lislnnent of permanent missions, to be accompanied by colonies of French 
emigrants ujion the lakes ; but in two days after reaching that post, witli 
another priest, Louis Nicholas, he returned to the mission of Che-goi- 
nie-gon. 

Tlie condition of Canada at tliat time was favorable to the progress of 
the missions of this portion of tlie West. The monopoly of the West 
India Company, organized for the purpose of prosecuting the fur-trade, 
had l)een yielded U]). Peace was enjoyed, and a new recruit of missionaries 
iiad arrived from France. Aided by such advantages, Allouez, Claude 
Dablim, and James Marquette in 16G8 repaired to the Chippewas and estab- 
lished the mission of St. Mary, the first settlement commenced by Europeans 
within the boundaries of Michigan. During the following years these mis- 
sionaries were employed in strengthening the power of France over the pos- 
sessions which she claimed, from Green J3ay to the head of Lake Superior, 
and in collecting information respecting the region extending toward the 
Mississippi. They resolved in the year 16(39 to attempt its exploration, 
and selected as a companion a young Illinois, for the i)urpose of becoming 
ac(juainteil with the dialect of that tribe. 

The commerce of the fur-trade J)etween the Algonquins and the French 
secured the protection of their tribes and their dee]) attachment, while a 
desire of strengthening the power of France over the Western territory 
pervaded the mind of Louis of France and Colbert, his minister. Talon, 
the intendant-general, moreover, desired to advance the same object, and 
for this purpose despatched his agent, Nicholas Perrott, in order to call a 
general c( mgress of the lake tribes at the Falls of St. ]\Iary. Procuring at 
Green Bay a guard of Pottowatomies, he reached the settlement of the 
Miamis at Chicago, the fii-st of civilized men who had ever visited, that 
l)oiiit. 

Tiie desired Congress of the Indian tribes convened at the falls of St. 
Mary in ^lay of 1671, was composed of prominent delegates from the head 
waters of the St. Lawrence, the Mississij^pi, the lakes, and even the Red 
river ; and of veteran officers from the armies of France, intermingled here 
and there with a Jesuit missionary. A cross having heen raised, and also 
a cedar post marked with the French lilies, the representatives of the savage 
liordes were informed that they were under the protection of the French 
King. During that year Manpiettc gathered a branch of the Ilurons at 
Point St. Ignace, upon the continent north of the peninsula of Michigan, 
an establishment that was long a convenient resting-place for the savages 
and the fur-trade. 

In 167:2, Alhaiez and Dablon, who were the active agents of the French 
Government in carrying the cross through the eastern part of Wisconsin 
and tlie U'Tth of Illinois, seeking by mild means to secure the good otKces 
of the Kirkapoos upon the Milwaukie and of the Miamis of Lake Michi- 
gan, explored the countries to the south of the village that had been thus 
founded by ^larquette, and had even extended their explorations to the 
tribes of the Foxes, then scattered along the banks of the Fox river. But 
the power of the French in this quarter was mainly conhned to the imme- 
diate shores of the lakes and their connecting waters. Beyond these was a 
river llowing thousands of miles into the sea, wliich had never been tracdl 
to it^ outlet, of which Allouez had reported the name to be Me-ssipi, or the 



18 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

(Jreat river. This stream, long the object of curious inquiry, was now to 
be sought, in order that the French power might be spread along its banks. 

Thus labored Marquette, a solitary missionary upon the lakes, until 1(373, 
when M. Talon, the intendant-geueral of the colony, ambitious to close his 
career in that region with something of honor, despatched M. Joliet, a citi- 
zen of Quebec, to this man, and unfolded, at the same time, a project for 
the exploration of the country along the line of the Miclmepee, or the Great 
river, to its mouth, which current reports declared flowed into a large sea. 
Nor was Marquette unwilling to aid the enterprise. Upon the thirteenth 
of May, everything being ready, this adventurer, together with Joliet and 
five other Frenchmen, left Michilimackinac in two bark canoes, supplied 
with Indian corn and jerked meat, and commenced their voyage to the 
unknown country. They soon arrived at an Indian village which was 
familiar to Marquette, and made known to the savages their plan. These 
savages, however, seemed to be horror-struck at the boldness of the project 
to explore the great river. There were Indians in that quarter, they told 
the whites, who would destroy them ; monsters who would swallow up them 
and their canoes ; a demon who would ingulf all who ventured near his 
watery and boiling domain, and heats that would parch them. " I thanked 
them for their good advice," says Marquette, '' but informed them I could 
not follow it, since the salvation of souls was at stake, for which I should be 
overjoyed to give my life." 

The navigators now passed through Green Bay, from the mud of which 
there arose, says the voyager, " mischievous vapors, which cause the most 
grand and perpetual thunders I ever heard." They entered the Fox river, 
and, dragging their canoes through the rapids, and cutting their feet with 
the stones, they soon arrived at a village where there lived together a band 
of the Miamis, Mascoutens, and Kickapoos. Here they found a cross hunsr 
with skins, because the Great Spirit had given to the Indians a successful 
chase. Father Allouez had been here, and had taught them that the cross 
was the only visible emblem of the true religion. This village was at that 
time the remote boundary of western exploration, and beyond it no French- 
man had before gone. They were now journeying through a country before 
unknown to white men. On the 10th of July the adventurers left these 
savages amazed at the hardihood of the whites, and, aided by two guides, 
started f6r the stream, which was believed to run but three leagues distant 
from the Mississi|)pi, and to flow into that river. The Indian guides, hav- 
ing conducted tliem to the portage without any mishap, left them " alone 
amid that unknown country, in the hand of God." Advancing with 
prayers, they soon arrived at the Wisconsin, a stream abounding with sand- 
bars, but studded with islands and bordered by banks green with vegeta- 
tion, and variegated by groves and pleasant slopes. Floating down the 
stream in their canoes, they arrived, on the 17th of June, at the Mississippi, 
" with joy," says Manjuette, " that I cannot express." 

The adventurers had now reached the main channel, which they were to 
explore to its UKJUth ; and, after having adtuired the herds of bufllilo and 
deer which roamed along its borders, and the swans which floated ui)on ita 
surface, as well as some great fish which nearly dashed their canoes Xo 
atoms, they at length came to the footprints of human beings on the sand, 
and a trail leading to a meadow. Ijcaving their canoes in charge of the 
crew, Joliet and Manpu'tte now advanced towards what seemed to them an 
Indian village, suflicieiUly near to hear the vtnce of the savages. AVith 
prayers they made known their ])rescnce by a loud cry, and were soon 
received by an embassy of four old men, who presented them the i)ipe of 



THE FRENCH MISSIONARIES AND TRAVELLERS. 19 

peace, and informed them at tlie .same time that they were in a village of 
tlie Illinois. The French voyairerd were here entertained with a gran<l feast, 
accompanied with mnch .smok.in<r. The feast ci>nsi,sted of four courses; the 
first was of hominy, the second of fish, the third of dog, and the f)urth of 
roasted buffalo. VVhen the feast had been concluded, tliey were marched 
through the town with much ceremony; and, having passed the night 
quietly, they were escorted by six hundred Indians to their canoes. The 
Illinois, says Mar(]uette, were handsome, kindly, and effeminate. They 
used guns, and were feared by the savages of the South and West, where 
they made many prisoners, and sold them as slaves. 

Having left the Illinois, the voyagers ]xissed the rocks on which were 
painted the monsters of whose existence they had heard at Lake Michigan, 
and reached the mouth of the Missouri. Leaving the Missouri, they encoun- 
tered the demon against which they had been warned, that was nothing 
more than a great rock in the stream, and soon arrived at the Ohio. From 
the Ohio, although somewhat troubled by the mosquitoes, they ])assed in 
safety to the region of the Arkan.sa.'^. 

At this place they were attacked by a crowd of warriors, and would have 
been overj)owered had not i\Iarquette presented the pipe of peace, which 
softened the rough savages; for, says the Jesuit, "God touched their hearts." 
On the succeeding day they proceeded on their way, and were feasted by 
the hospitable savages u])on corn and dognieat cooked in earthenware, the 
Indians being amiable and ceremonious, passing the dish from one to another. 
Here the voyagers determined to return to the North, as they were now con- 
fident of the place where the Mississippi was discharged, that being the 
principal object of the expedition. In -consequence, they left Akamsca on 
the 17th of July, retracing their track; an(l, amazed at the nund)ers of 
"grounds, meadows, Avoods, buffaloes, stags, deer, wildcats, bustards, swans, 
ducks, paroquets, and beavers" upon the Illinois river, they arrived atOreen 
Bay in Sej)tember of that year, where they reported what they had .<een. 

Father jMarquette returned to the Illinois, and ))erf )rmed his clerical 
offices by their request until the year 1 (575. On the 18th of i\Iay, as he 
was pa.«sing through Lake Michigan in his canoes, he proposed to land at 
the mouth of a small stream running from the ]ieninsula to perform ma.ss, 
and retired a little distance to pray. Not returning, his men went in ])ur- 
suit of him, and soon discovered the missionary, but he was dead ; and they 
nnide a grave and buried him in the sand, upon the western part of the 
peninsula of Michigan, on the borders of a stream which now bears his name, 
and where the place of his interment was recently to be seen. Thus passed 
away this quiet man in the wilderne.«s, after a long life s])ent in doing good. 
Yet he left the impression of his virtues liehind him, and his name the world 
has embalmed and will perpetuate. 

At length the enterprise of Ivobert de la Salle, a native of Normandy, in 
France, a young num of strong passions, but great energy, entered upon a 
project which hat! f>r its object the ])er])etuation of the power of France by 
the jiermanent colonization of the West. La Salle was, according to C'har- 
levoix, brought up among the Jesuits, and, having lost his patrimony in 
France, and being of an adventurous and enterprising spirit, he turned his 
mind to the French colonies (tn this side of the Atlantic about the year 1()70. 
Having arrived at the Canadian jiort, he occui»ied himself with a ]>roject, 
l)opular in (hat day, ci.iniected with a short passage to Ohina, and had 
already planned an ex])edition acro.'ss the great lakes to the banks of the 
Pacilic when Father Marquette returned from the Missi.ssippi. The highly 
colored views which this missionary gave of the country, and its extensive 



20 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAX. 

channel of interior communication ^vestward, kindled the sanguine mind 
of La Salle, and induced him to redouble his exertions to carry out his 
object. With that view he resorted to M. de Fronteuac, th«n the governor- 
general of Canada, and at once laid before him the dim but gigantic outline 
of his project, having for its end the extension of the French power, by con- 
structing a chain of fortifications at the most prominent points along the 
lakes and rivers of the West. The first step towards this favorite scheme 
was to rebuild Fort Frontenac, which lies on Lake Ontario, of stone; and 
the politic adventurer deemed this an important point to win the favor of 
the governor-general, as that fort was called after his name. Frontenac 
entered warmly into his views. Believing that the French power would be 
greatly strengthened by carrying out the design, he advised La Salle to 
apply directly to the King of France; and, to aid his application for royal 
patronage, he gave the adventurer letters to Seigneilay, who, as minister of 
marine, had succeeded his father, the well-known Colbert. 

With glowing hopes. La Salle now resorted to the French King, and made 
known his wants. His plan was approved by the minister, who received his 
letter, and he was invested with the title of chevalier, and also with the seig- 
nory of Fort Frontenac, on the condition that he would rebuild it. From 
all the nobility of that country he received also assui-ances of full counte- 
nance and aid. Encouraged l)y these assurances. La Salle, with his lieu- 
tenant, Tonti, an Italian, and thirty men, sailed from Rochelle on the 14th 
of July, 1678, reached Quebec on the 15th of September of the same year, 
and soon after j^roceeded to Fort Frontenac. Here he found laboring in 
the missionary cause Louis Hennepin, a friar of the Franciscan order, daring, 
vain, and determined, ambitious to reap the glory of discovery, and not too 
scrupulous as to the means. Hennepin had been appointed by his religious 
superiors acting missionary, to accompany the expedition of La Salle, and 
arrived at this jioint, in readiness to meet him, in October of 1678. 

The chevalier having no means to carry out his project, and being at that 
time somewhat involved in debt, was obliged to cast about for money to 
advance his enterprise. He commenced operations, accordingly, by sending 
f rward a party of his men along the shores of the lakes to collect skins, from 
which he might accumulate something to pay his winter expenses, for he had 
an exclusive right from the French monarch to trade in that region. The 
advantages of this course were two-fold : for, while the Frenchmen whom 
he should despatch were collecting the furs, they could, at the same time, 
prepare the minds of the Indians for his coming. In the first place it was 
made a part of his duty to alter and repair Fort Frontenac ; Lake Ontario 
was to be navigated ; a f )rt was to be built on Lake Eric, and a bark of 
extraordinary size for those inland seas was to be constructed. All these 
duties devolved upon himself; and, with the small funds which he had to 
accomplish them, they would, to a man of moderate soul, have appeared 
firmidable. But to the stout heart of the French chevalier they were as 
nothing, for his perseverance was unconquerable, and his ambition looked 
forward to the time when his name should be covered with glory as the bene- 
factor of France, and the Columl)Us of its colonies in the West. 

Having despatched his men for the objects which have been mentioned, 
La Salle embarked upon Lake Ontario, with his followers, on the 18th of 
November, 1678, in a little vessel of ten tons, "the first ship that had ever 
sailed on that fresh-water sea." Against strong winds the vessel was finally, 
after having occupied four weeks in beating up from Kingston to Niagara, 
pushed as near the falls as could be done with safety, and the adventurers 
landed. Here some magazines were built with great difliculty, as the ground 



THE FRENCH MISSIOXARIES AND TRAVELLERS. 21 

was frozen, and the post.s could be driven down only by pouring boiling water 
upon the surface, and thus thawing the earth. Here also they formed their 
first acquaintance with the Iroquois of Kiagara Village upon Lake Erie, and 
founde 1 a second fort; but, impeded hy the jealousy of the Iroquois, they 
relincpiished the i^roject, and merely erected a temporaiy work to secure the 
magazines. Leaving orders for his men to build another vessel, La Salle 
returned to Fort Frontenac to procure anchors, cables, chains, and other 
outfits for his new ship. Through the winter days, Avhen Lake Erie lay 
before them covered with ice, like "a plain paved with iine-polished marble," 
his men hammered upon the ship, Avhile others gathered furs and jjeliry in 
the forest, or strove to gain the good-will of the Ir()quois, who claimed the 
country through which they were to ])ass, and who liad never shown them- 
selves the special friends of the French. On the 20th of January, KiTO, the 
chevalier returned. The vessel in which his outfits had been embarked was 
wrecked ; and, although the most valuable part of her cargo was saved, the 
greater portion of her provisions went to the bottom. This, however, did not 
dishearten the stout-hearted adventurer. A considerable quantity of furs 
was collected during the winter, with which the commander, in the spring 
of 1679, returned to Fort Frontenac, and Tonti was sent out upon the shores 
of the lakes to muster his men, who had been before despatched into that 
region. The vessel, however, was at length built, in spite of all these obsta- 
cles, rigged and manned, and made ready to sail. 

The chain of fn-tifications thus projected by La Salle was afterward con- 
structed upon the water-line of the Northwest, and its remains are still to 
1)0 seen stretching from the shores of Lake Ontario to the mouth of the 
JNIississippi. 

On the seventh day of the month of August, 1G79, the bark of sixty tons 
burden having at length been built, she started on the first voyage which 
had ever been made upon that inland sea, amid the sound of Te Dcum>i and 
the discharge of arquebuses. This vessel was named the Griffin, and the 
image of that animal was carved on her prow. Robert do la Salle was her 
commander; and Louis Hennepin, the missionary, burning with ardor to 
make new discoveries, and also the journalist of the expedition, was on 
board. The crew consisted of fur-traders taken from the Canadian colo- 
nies. They sounded while they ploughed along the waves of Lake Erie, as 
they did not know the depth of the water, and on the tenth of the same 
month tliey arrived near the islands which are grouped at the entrance of 
the Detroit river, where they anchored. Hennepin says of these islands: 
" They make the finest pros])ect in the world. The strait (of Detroit) is 
finer than Niagara, being one league broad, excepting that part which f>rms 
the lake that %ve have called /St. Clair." 

The explorers, passing up the river and advancing across Lake Huriin, 
soon landed on the shore of the northern jiart of the peninsula of ]\Iicliigan, 
and in August they built the old Fort of 3Iichilnnaekinac. The doscrijH 
tions of the country by these early travellers, although not entirely accu- 
rate, are interasting, and they will be rcjgardetl as of great value wlien the 
shores of the lakes shall be crowded with a dense population. Of the scen- 
ery Hennepin remarks : " The country between the two lakes (Erie and 
Huron ) is very well situated, and the soil very fertile. The banks of the 
strait (Detroit) are vast meadows, and the prospect is terminated with 
some hills covered with vineyards, trees bearing good fruit, groves and for- 
ests so well disjxjsed that one would think Nature alone could not have 
made, without the help of art, so charming a prospect. That country is 
stocked with stags, wikl goats, and bears, which are good for food, ^nd not 



22 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

fierce as iii other countries; some think they are better than our pork. Tur- 
key-cocks and swans are there very common; and our men brought several 
other ))easts and bii'ds, whose names are unknown to us, but they are extra- 
ordinary relishing. 

" The forests are chiefly made up of walnut, chestnut, plum, and pear 
trees, loaded with their own fruit, and vines. There is also abundance of 
timber for building; so that those who shall be so hapjjy as to inlial)it that 
noble country cannot but remember with gratitude them who have led tiie 
way." 

From Michilimackinac the French explorers went to Green Bay. Here 
La Salle collected a cargo of furs, and dispatched them in the Griffin back 
to Niagara, in order to pay the debts which he owed in that quarter. But 
the vessel was never heard of afterward. With fourteen of his Frenchmen 
he now paddled down Lake Michigan hi canoes, marking the shoals of that 
lake by bear-skins stuck on poles, and feeding on the flesh of that animal. 
On the first of November, having reached the 8t. Joseph river of Lake 
Michigan, he built another rude fort at its mouth, called fort Miami. Touti, 
the Italian, La Salle's lieutenant, had been sent out ujjou the Ijorders of the 
lake with some of his men to procure venison and to collect the straggling 
Frenchmen, and the party remained at St. Joseph awaiting the return of 
the Griffin. 

But winter now came on, and the Griffin did not appear. The party of 
La Salle, therefore, on the 1st of September, occupied themselves in driving 
palisades near the mouth of the St. Joseph river of Lake jNIichigan, in 
order to warn off the French bark from the shoals upon the liorders of that 
lake. If the lakes should be frozen before the vessel returned new ol)stacle3 
would be thrown in his way ; for the wilderness presented but few friendly 
inhabitants and cultivated fields, the shores of the lakes no hospitable ports, 
so that lie determined to proceed upon "his great voyage and glorious under- 
taking;" and, collecting his crew, and leaving in the rude fort of St. Joseph 
a few men, he set out with the remainder and three monks. Passing to the 
Illinois, the party descended that river " by easy journeys, the better to 
observe that country," Avhich al)ounded with marslies, where no safe footing 
could be obtained. Through these swamps the adventurers proceeded until 
they arrived at a village of the Illinois Indians, which contained about five 
hundred untenanted cabins. Here the party of the Sieur de la Salle, being 
w^orn down with hunger, provided themselves with a quantity of corn, which 
was found hidden in holes in the ground under the Indian wigwams, and 
placed it on shipboard. This pomt is supposed to have been the present 
site of Rock Fort, upon the Illinois. 

On the 4th of January, 1680, the ship being ready and the voyagers pre- 
pared, they proceeded into a lake believed to be Peoria, where they caught 
some good fish with which they might season their corn, when bands of sav- 
ages appeared on both sidas of the river, to which they had now returned. 
When, however, the startled Frenchmen sup))()sed that, having been engaged 
in depredation, their season of fighting had arrived, they were agreeably 
surprised by lieing asked who they were, the savages " being naturally in- 
clined to peace." The question having been answered, they were received 
by the Indians with nuu'h kindness, who, not as savages are used to do, but 
"as men well-bred and civilized," spread out before the needy voyagers "beef, 
and stag, and all sorts of venison and fowls." This hos])itablc reception 
was repaid by discharges of firearms, and by presenting them large draughts 
of brandy. A feast, ccmtinuing three days, was at length concluded, and 
the Frenchmen discovered in the Illinois great humanity, and a " good dis- 



THE FRENCH MISSIONARIES AND TRAVELLERS. 23 

p;)sition to civil society." They were " flatterers coinplaisant aud ciinnin<r," 
and, although they paid a sort of respect to virtue, tiiey were still etleiiiinate 
and dissolute. In the midst of this nation La Salle concluded to build 
another f irt, i'(^ the pacilic character of the Indians in that (|uarter induced 
liini t) select this as its most favorable site. A point upon the rising j^rouud, 
near the river, was chosen tor that object, and here a rude fortitication was 
l)uilt, which La Salle named Crevecieur, the Broken Heart: a touching 
name, indicatino; his disappointment, occasioned by the loss of the Griffin 
and the consequent wreck of his hopes, the jealousy of a portion of the sav- 
ages, who had l)ecn [lersuaded that he was a frien(l of the Innpiois, and the 
mutiny of his men, which had already begun to show itself by administer- 
ing to him poison: misibrtunes which sunk him in poverty, casting a gloom 
over his burning but iron lieart, beclouding his glorious vision, and plunging 
him in doubt and despair. 

The winter was passed, and La Salle remained in the wilderness until 
the vegetation began to spring up on the prairies, liereft of property, with 
his men, who even sought his life, fast deserting him, with Indians around 
him, instigated by capricious and uncertain motives, he still had left his 
own determined spirit: a spirit fearless of obstacles, which burned the 
brighter amid the gloom that encompassed it. He found it necessary, 
therefore, to return to the Canadian colonies to raise men and money, and 
to prepare another outfit, for he was still firmly resolved to persevere in his 
original project. In accordance with this determination, he employed M. 
Dacan and Father Louis Hennepin to proceed from that point on an ex})e- 
dition for the discovery of the sources of the !Mississi]>pi, with a ))arty con- 
sisting of eight persons, and on the last day of February, 1(>«(>, he startetl 
them on their voyage. At Fort Crevecceur the chevalier remained until the 
succeeding November, leaving Tonti and his nien among the Illinois, and 
then departed from that fort for Canada. On his passage along the river, 
being struck with the position of a high rock upon the bank, he at once 
determined to construct a fort at that {)oint, and, marking out a jilan, sent 
it to Tonti at Fort Crevccanir. Tonti immediately proceeded to the execu- 
tion of the {)roject, but had hardly commenced when a revolt broke out 
among the men whom he had left at Fort Crevecceur, and he was obliged to 
return. This new fort was named St. Louis, and was placed under the com- 
mand of Tonti when La Salle returned to France. Its site was probably the 
sp'it that is now called Rock Fort, in La Salle county, Tllinoi.s. 

Tonti, thus left in the woods with a garrison of undisciplined Frenchmen, 
lived on with little (juietude until September of lOSl, when, to his horror, a 
body of the Iroquois appeared in this region, having been irritated during 
>i journey along the borders of the lakes. "What was the policy of Tonti in 
reference to these two hostile savage nations does not clearly appear, yet it 
is evident that he must have ])reserved neutral ground, acting as a mediator 
between tlu'in. But succor did not come; and at length he was obliged to 
return to Canada with five men, in the middle of Sejitember of the same 
vear, reaching Lake Michigan in October, and spending the winter upon its 
bordei-s. Thus ended this expedition for discovery along the shores of the 
great lakes, under the auspices of an individual who should l)e known as 
the first navigator of Lake Erie. 

But let La Salle be followed to the close of his adventurous career. He 
had returr.ed to Canada, where he busied himself in raising recruits, con- 
structing vessels, and gathering funds; and the spring of 1G82 found him 
again upon the Illinois, manning Crevccoeur, rebuilding Fort St. Louis, and 
soon after returning to Fort Frouteuae to prepare for his second voyage, 



24 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAJf. 

which commenced ou the Illinois river in 1683, when the mouth of the Mis- 
sissippi Avas descried. But La Salle soon departed for France, to lay before 
the throne the record of what he had done, and also his project for the explor- 
ation and settlement of the far-famed Louisiana. A fleet was provided by 
the agency of Seigneilay, consisting of twenty-four vessels, four of which 
were destined for Louisiana, carrying two hundred and eighty persons, 
soldiers, artificers, and " women." Starting on his voyage across the ocean, 
on the 24th of July, 1684, he reached his destined point, where he was assas- 
sinated b)^ his own men. Thus fell La Salle ; a man of energy, accom- 
plished, virtuous, ardent, and self-sacrificing ; one of a class who ruin them- 
selves while they benefit the world, neglect the means of happiness, and raise 
up for themselves a lasting remembrance. 

No settlement had at this time been made at Detroit, because the traders 
and Jesuit missionaries had a more direct and safer route to the upper lakes, 
from Montreal to jNIichilimackinac, by the way of the Ottawa river. But 
this point had long been regarded an eligible position for a settlement, as it 
commanded a liroad tract of country, and stood, as it were, at the gate of 
the upper lakes, in a direct route from these lakes to the English colonies 
of New York, by the way of Lake Erie. 

The French and English both desired to obtain possession of this post. 
But while the English were looking to its acquisition, they were anticipated 
l)y their rivals. Taking counsel from the movements of their opponents, 
the French called a grand meeting of the Iroquois, or Five Nations, at Mon- 
treal. The chiefs of the diflferenf tribes from the St. Lawrence to the !Mis- 
sissippi attended this meeting ; also the principal men and the Governor- 
General of Canada. Here the establishment of a post at that place was 
discussed, and the grounds on which the two nations based their claims U) 
it weighed. The Iroquois, however, r.aid that, understanding the French 
were about to make a settlement at that point, they were opposed to the 
measure, as they had already prohibited the English from doing the same. 
The Governor-General of Canada replied that the land belonged neither to 
the Iroquois nor to the English, but to the King of France, and that there 
was already an expedition on the march for the purjiose of erecting a colo- 
nial establishment at that place. In accordance with this plan, Antoine de 
la ]\Iotte Cadillac, lord of Bouaget, Mont Desert, having been granted a 
tract of fifteen acres square by Louis XIY, left Montreal, accompanied by 
a Jesuit missionary and one hundred men, and arrived at the point of the 
wilderness which is now the site of Detroit, in the month of July, 1701, 
where they commenced the foundation of the first ])ermanent settlement in 
Micliigan. Before it had only been known by the French missionaries as a 
trading-post, and in 1620 it was occupied by an Indian village, which Avas 
called Teuchsa Grondie. The Saute de St. JNIarie, as we have seen, had at 
that time been fDtlnded, and a rude post was also erected at Fort Gratiot, 
which was a resting point for the fur-trade. 

This chain of fortifications was all the defence which was constructed 
upon the lake shores for nearly a century and a half, and it comprised a 
part of that line of forts that was projected by La Salle, extending from 
the St. Lawrence down the Mississippi to New Orleans. Their object was 
to furnish outposts by which the territory of Canada on the borders of the 
hikes could be hold, the English settlements hemmed in, the Jesuit mission- 
aries and settlers protected against the numerous and capricious tribes of 
savages in this quarter, and by which the fur-trade might circulate, with 
full success, along the lakes and streams of the Northwest. The forts of 
Detroit, Michiliniackinac, St. Joseph, and Green Bay were of rude construe- 



THE FRENCH MISSIONARIES AND TRAVELLERS. 25 

tiim, and the chapels erected by their side were used for the religious asseni- 
1)1 ies of the French settlers, who were fnjni that time collected around the 
posts, and also of the Indians who were under the special guardianship of 
the Jesuit missionaries. These structures, minute points on the ])ordcrs of 
tlie forest, were either roofed with bark or thatched with straw, and on their 
top was generally erected the cross. Tribes of friendly Indians that covdd 
be induced to settle near them had their villages or wigwams around these 
posts, and also their planting-grounds, in which they cultivated Indian corn, 
not only for the French settlers, but also for the pers(.)us connected with the 
fur-trade. They derive their principal importance from the fact that they 
were the only outposts of the French Government in this country before the 
English conquest, and, consequently, the theatres of the most interesting 
frontier operations. 

About three years after Detroit was founded, the Ottawa Indians in that 
vicinity were invited to Albany, in New York, U})on what was supposed to 
be a friendly visit. As St. Joseph was surrounded by villages of tlie IIu- 
rons, Pottowatomies, and ]\Iiamis, so also was Detroit at that time guarded 
by parts of the friendly tribes of the Ilurons and Pottowatomies near the 
settlements, and an Ot'taAva village had been erected on the oj)p()site bank 
of the river. It would api)ear that while the Ottawas were in Albany they 
had been persuaded by the English, who even then wished to obtain pos- 
session of the post of their rivals, that it was the design of the French to 
wrest the dominion of the country from their hands; and they accordingly 
set lire to the town, but without success, as the fire was soon extinguished. 
At this time, also, groups of savages of the same tribe, having made a suc- 
cessful expediti(jn against their enemies t«he Iro(]Uois, and warm with vic- 
tory, were seen paraded in hostile array in front of the fort ; but M. Tonti, 
who was the commandant of the post, despatching the Sieur de Vincennes 
against them, he dispersed their bands, and rescued the Iroquois prisoners 
whom tliey left behind them in their flight. 

The [)rogress of operations on the lake shores was not at this period 
marked with any very great interest, as the settlements were few ; but they 
rcHect, nevertheless, the spirit which prevailed in France during their con- 
tinuance. The lands lay sleeping in their original silence and solitude, un- 
<listurbed by the plough. Occasionally the settlers may have been surprised 
l)y their ancient enemies the Iroquois, but the a])pearancc of parts of these 
nations excited a surprise which soon settled down into peace. But in 1712 
the Ottagamies or Foxes, who had been before but little known, but who 
were ])robal)ly in secret alliance with the Iroquois, projected a plan for the 
destruction of Detroit. They made their arrangements in secret, and sent 
their bands to collect around the new French settlement, which was then 
garrisoned by a force of twenty soldiers, of whom ]VL Du Buisscm Avas the 
commandant. The occupation of the three French villages of Indians, the 
Ottawas. Pottowatomies, and Ilurons, were then absent on a hunting excur- 
sion. A converted Indian, however, under the influence of a Jesuit mis- 
sionary, disclosed their plot bef n'c it was ripe for execution, and Du Buisson 
immediately sent despatches through the forest to call in the aid of the 
friendly Indians, and prej)ared for an eti'ective defence. 

On the loth of May of that year the Foxes made their onset upon Detroit 
with tiendish yells. No sooner, however, was the attack commenced, than 
jiortious of the friendly Indians were seen through the wilderness, painted 
for battle as is their custom, and the gates of the fort were oi)ened to receive 
them. A consultation was now held at the council-house, and they renewed 
their league with Du Buisson, and expressed their determination, if ueces- 



26 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

sary, t > die in the defence of the post. On the arrival of the friendly In- 
dians, the Foxes retreated to the forest which until lately adjoined the bound- 
ary of Detroit, and intrenched themselves in their camp. 

The French then sallied out i'rom the fort, and, backed by their savage 
allies, erected a bhjckhouse in front of their camp, in order to f(jrce the en- 
emy from their position. Here the latter were closely besieged ; being cut 
off from their sui)ply of water, and, driven to desperation by thirst and fa- 
mine, they in turn rushed out from their strongholds upon the French and 
the friendly Indians, and succeeded in getting possession of a house near the 
village. This house they fortified, but they were here attacked by the 
French cannon, and driven back to their former intrenchment. 

Finding that their league was likely to prove unsuccessful, the Foxes now- 
sent despatches to the French comnuindant asking for peace, which was de- 
nied them. Upon this they considered themselves insulted, and, burning 
with revenge, they discharged showers of blazing arrows upon the fort. The 
lighted matches they had affixed to their arrows coming into contact with 
the dry roofs of the houses, kindled them into flame, when the precaution 
was taken to cover the rest with wet skins, and by this means they were 
preserved. The desperation of the Foxes almost discouraged the French 
commandant, and he had nearly determined to evacuate Detroit and to re- 
tire to Michilimackinac, when his Indian allies promised to redouble their 
efforts for his defence ; and the war-songs and dances of their bands, heard 
through the solitude of the forest, assured him that a more desperate effort 
was about to be nu^de in his behalf. The preparations having been finished, 
the French and Indians advanced upon the Foxes with more determined 
courage, and, pouring upon their intrenchments a deadly fire, they were soon 
filled with the dying and the dead. Once more the Foxes demanded peace. 
Before any capitulation, however, was com})leted, the enemy i-etreated tcr 
wards Lake St. Clair during a storm at midnight, on the nineteenth day of 
the siege. 

The French and their Indian allies, as soon as they discovered their flight, 
prepared for a pursuit, and soon came upon their camps. An action began, 
which at the outset was in favor of the Foxes, the French and Indians being 
repulsed. But a different plan of operation was soon after adopted, and with 
better success. At the end of three days a field battery was completed, and 
the intrenchment of the Foxes fell before the French cannon. 

The Foxes may be considered the Ishmaelites of the wilderness, for they 
were at enmity with all the tribes on the lakes. They collectetl their forces 
on the Fox river of Green Bay, where they commanded the territory between 
the lakes and the Mississippi," so that it was dangerous for travellers to pass 
through that region except in large bodies and armed, while their warriors 
were sent[out to seek objects of plunder and devastation. So great was the 
danger apprehended by the missionaries and traders of i)assing through that 
territory, as well as by the French settlers, and so great the injury already 
done by those tribes, that an expedition was fitted out against them by the 
French, backed by their Indian allies, who were rankling under a sense of 
repeated wrongs. This warlike nation had stationed itself on the banks of 
the Fox river, at a place then and now called by the French Biifte den 
Moris, or the Hill of the Dead, defending their position by a ditch and three 
courses of palisades. Here they collected their women and children, and 
prepared for a desperate resistance. INI. de Louvigny, the coiunuuidant of 
the expedition, perceiving the strength of their works, determined not to 
exj)ose his men by a direct attack, but entered upon a regular siege, and 
was prei)anng for the final crisis when the Foxes i)ro{)osed a capitulation. 



THE FRENCH MISSTOXARIES AND TRAVELLERS. 27 

This was accepted; and the pride of the Foxc?; being thus humbled, they 
sank into obscurity durinj.^ the renuiinder of the French war. 

Thus it is seen that, although the few French forts upon the lakes were 
rudely constructed, and but poorly ada{)ted to make a serious and etiective 
defence, they were nevertheless competent, with their snuill garrisons, to 
})rotect the emigrants against the disaliected tribes whi; li were I'rom time to 
time arrayed against them. The jjickets which surrounded them, composed 
of upright stakes, furnished a line of concealment rather than strong bul- 
works, and, together with the light cannon with which they were UKmnted, 
enabh'd the French to suppress the disturbances that occasionally sprang 
up around their j)osts. 

The early missionaries and French travellers who journeyed through the 
region of tlie lakes exhibit a ])eculiar form of character. Tinctured with 
the spirit which prevailed in France at the period of their immigration, the 
novel scenes around them impressed them with those sentiments of romance 
so peculiar to tiie French. They show the si)irit under which the missiona- 
ries and soldiers travelled, and the ehxpience with which the scenes around 
them tended to inspire their minds. 

The forests amitl which their lot was cast were calculated to fill them 
with wtmder and admiration. A vast chain of hdand seas, which a])peared 
to them like oceans, stretched a watery horizon along the borders of the 
wilderness. Flocks of water-fowl of varied plunuige streamed along the 
shores of the lakes, and the waters swarmed with fish. The face of nature, 
fresh in the luxuriance of a virgin soil, was everywhere clothed with mag- 
nificent vegetation. Did they travel through the Indian trails or bridle- 
[laths which wound through the forest, extensive tracts of oaklands, that 
seemed like cultivated parks, met their eye, studded with little crystal lakes 
and streams and covered with flowers. Herds of bufialoes wandered over 
the i)rairies, trampling down the flowers which blushed in their track as 
they rushed on in clumsy motion. Great numbers of moose and elk, which 
in the size of their horns almost rivalled the l^ranches of the trees, bounded 
through the thickets. Deer were here and there seen feeding upon the mar- 
gin of the water-courses. Flocks of wihl turkeys and other game filled the 
woods ; the prairies were alive with grouse, and pigeons swept along like 
clouds above the forest, in numbers which sometimes almost hid the sun. 

But more than this, they beheld in the luxuriance of the soil a })rize 
which, if judiciously managed, would be a source of inexhaustible wealth 
to their nation. Rich clusters of grapes hung from the trees, which re- 
minded them of the champaign districts (^f France from which they emi- 
grated ; and ai)ples and plums, crude to the taste, but that by culture might 
be much impi'oved, abounded in the groves. 

" Lake Erie," says La H(jnton, who commanded a fi^rt uptm it in 1688, 
" is jvistly dignified with the illustrious name of Couti ; fi)r assuredly it Ls 
tlie tinest upon earth. You may judge of the goodness of the climate from 
the latitude of the countries that surround it. Its circumference extends to 
two hundred and thirty leagu(\'^, but it aflords everywhere a charming i)ros- 
l)ect, and its shores are decked with oak trees, elms, chestnut trees, walnut, 
apple, plum trees, and vines which bear their fine clusters up to the very 
to])s of the trees, upon a sort of ground that lies as smooth as one's hand. 
Such ornaments as these are sufficient to give rise to the most agreeable idea 
of a landscape in the world. I cannot exj)ress what iiuantities of deer and 
turkeys are to be found in these woods, aud in the vast meadows that lie 
upon the south side of the lake. At the foot of the lake we fiml wild 
beeves (buffaloes,) upon the banks of two pleasant streams that disembogue 



28 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

into it without cataracts or rapid currents. It abounds Avitli sturgeon and 
Avliitefish, but trouts are very scarce in it, as well as the other fish that we 
take in the Lakes of Hurons^ (Huron) and Illinese (Michigan.) It is clear 
of shelves, rocks, and banks of sand, and has fourteen or fifteen fathoms 
water. The savages assure us that it is never disturbed by high winds 
except in the months of December, January, and February, and even then 
but seldom, Avhich I am very apt to believe, for we had very few storms 
when I wintered in my fort in 1688, though the fort lay open to the Lake 
of Hurons. The banks of this lake are commonly frequented by none but 
warriors, whether the Iroquese, the Illinese, the Oumamies, &c., and it is 
very dangerous to stop there. By this means it comes to pass that the stags, 
roebucks, and turkeys run in great bodies up and down the shore all around 
the lake. In former times the Errironons and the Andastogueronons lived 
upon the confines of the lake ; but they were extirpated by the Iroquese, as 
well as the other nations marked on the map." 

Charlevoix, who travelled through the region of the lakes in 1720 as an 
accredited agent of the French government, gives an account equally inter- 
esting respecting the condition of the country at the time when he wrote. 
"The first of June being the day of Pentecost," says he, "after having trav- 
elled up a beautiful river for the space of an hour, which has its rise, as 
they say, at a great distance, and runs between two fine meadows, we passed 
over a carrying-place of about sixty paces in breadth, in order to avoid 
turning round a point which is called the Long Point. It is a very sandy 
spot of ground, and naturally bears a great quantity of vines. The follow- 
ing days I saw nothing remarkable, but coasted along a charming country, 
hid at times by very disagreeable prospects, Avhich, however, arc of no great 
extent. Wherever'l went ashore I was enchanted by the beauty and vari- 
ety of a prospect which was terminated by the noblest forests in the world. 
Add to this, that every part of it swarms with water-fowl. I cannot say 
Avhether the woods afford game in equal pi'ofusion, but I well know that on 
the south side there is a prodigious quantity of buffaloes. Were we all to sail 
as I then did, with a serene sky, in a most charming climate, and in water 
as clear as that of tjie purest fountain ; were we sure of finding everywhere 
secure and agreeable places to pass the night in, where we might enjoy the 
pleasure of hunting at a small expense, breathe at our ease the purest air, 
and enjoy the prospect of the finest countries in the universe, we might pos- 
sibly be tempted to travel to the end of our days. I recalled to mind those 
ancient patriarchs who had no fixed place of abode ; who lived in tents ; 
who were, in a manner, the masters of all the countries they passed through ; 
and who enjoyed in peace and tranquillity all their productions, without the 
plague inevitable in the possession of a real and fixed estate. How many 
oaks represented to me that of Mamre! How many fountains put me in 
mind of that of Jacob! Each day a new situation, chosen at pleasure; a 
neat and commodious house, built and furnished with all necessaries in less 
than a quarter of an hour, and floored with a pavement of flowers continu- 
ally springing up on a carpet of the most beautiful green ; on all sides sim- 
ple and natural beauties, unadulterated and inimitable by any art." 

Charlevoix at that early period visited Detroit for the purpose of viewing 
the young colony, where lie recommended that an accession should l)e made 
to the strength of the infimt settlement from INIontreal. This addition to 
their power was a])i)roved of by the Frencli, on the ground tliat it would 
secure them the fur-trade, then too nuich within reacli of the English of 
New York. He also attended, while here, a council of tlie chiefs of the 
three villages near Detroit, Avhere the question was discussed whether it was 



THE FRENCH MISSIOXARIES AND TRAVELLERS. 29 

proper to introduce brandy anioncr the Indians, a practice which the Jesuits 
linally succeeded in abolishing. In alhiding to Detroit, he says, "It is pre- 
tended tliat tliis is the finest part of all Canada ; and really, if we can judge 
\)\ appearances, nature seems to have denied it nothing which can contrib- 
ute to make a country delightful : hills, meadows, fields, lofty forests, rivu- 
lets, fountains, rivers, and all of them so excellent in their kind, and so 
happily blended as to equal the most romantic wishes. The lands, however, 
are not equally proper for every kind of grain ; but most are of a wonderful 
fertility, and I have known some produce good wheat for eighteen years 
running without any manure; and, besides, all of them are proper for some 
particular use. The islands seem placed on purpose for the ])lcasure of the 
prospect, the river and lake abound in fish, the air is pure, and the climate 
temperate and extremely wholesome."* 

The Jesuit being recpiested by Tonti to visit the great council at Detroit, 
consented to do so on the day of his arrival ; and his account of that council 
Is here transcribed : 

" On the 7th of June, which was the day of my arrival at the fort, CDe- 
troit,) IMons. de Tonti, who commands here, assembled the chiefs of the three 
villages I have just mentioned, in order to communicate to them the orders 
he had received from the JMarquis do Vaudreuil. They heard him calmly 
and with(jut interruption. When he had done speaking, the orator of the 
Hurons told him in a few words that they were going to consult about what 
he had proposed to them, and would give him their answer in' a short time. 
It is the custom of the Indians not to give an immediate answer on an affair 
of any importance. Two days afterward -they assembled at the comman- 
dant's, w^ho w-as desirous I should be present at this council, together with 
the officers of the garrison. Sasteratfi, whom the French call King of the 
Hurons, and who is, in fact, hereditary chief of the Tionnontatez, who are 
the true Hurons, was also present on this occasion ; l)ut as he is still a minor, 
he came only for form's sake: his uncle, who governs in his name, and who 
is called regent, spoke in quality of orator of the nation. Now the honor 
of s})cakiug in the name of the whole is generally given to some Huron, 
when any of them happen to be of the council. The first view of their 
assemblies gives you no great idea of the body. Imagine to yourself, mad- 
ame, half a score of savages almost stark naked, with their hair dispose<l 
in as many different manners as there arc persons in the assembly, and all 
of them equally ridiculous ; some with laced hats, all with pipes in their 

* These travellers were not, nor could they be expected to be, in all cases accurate, 
from their rapid passage through the Western territory; but in their accounts of their 
own experience we derive much vahiable information of its actual condition during the 
time when they wrote. Glimpses of wild beasts which they had never before seen, 
vegetable productions whose names they did not know, fragments of facts collected 
from the accounts of the Indians, always exaggerated and seldom authentic, passed in 
rapid succession before their minds, while they journeyed onward in bewildered amaze- 
ment, through rivers, lakes, forests, and Indian camps; and their impressions, thus 
colored and distorted, found their way into their books. But, taken as a whole, their 
accounts are as accurate as could be expected, considering the circumstances under 
which they wrote. If. for example, the zealous Marquette depicts ''wingless swans" 
as floaling upon the Mississippi; if Hennepin describes "wild goats^" upon the shores 
of Lake Erie : if La Honton discourses upon the " Long River," and'Charlevoix alludes 
to the "citrons" as growing upon the banks of the Detroit, we are disposed to attrib- 
ute their inaccuracies less to intentional misrepresentation than to natural and obvious 
mistake. Accurate observation and minute care are required to establish with perfect 
correctness the facts connected with any country, and he who should look to early 
records for historical matter will find much chaff to be winnowed from the genuine and 
golden wheat. 



30 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

mouths, and with the most unthinking faces. It is, besides, a rare thing to 
hear one utter so much as a single word in a quarter of an hour, or to hear 
any answer made even in monosyllables ; not the least mark of distinction, 
nor any respect paid to any person whatsoever. "We should, however, be apt 
to change our opinions of them on hearing the result of their deliberations." 
This, as is described by Charlevoix, was the general mode in which the 
Indian councils were held with the French upon the lakes when c^uestions 
of importance were to be decided. It was necessary to secure the concur- 
rence of the savages in every measure of policy, so that these tribes should 
co-operate with them in carrying it into efl'ect. 

COLONIAL PIONEERS. 

The posts of the French upon the lakes, while the "Western Territory was 
under their government, exhil)it a ]>eculiar form of character, combined 
with institutions no less singular. The few feeble colonies that were scat- 
tered through this territory had emigrated principally from Britanny and 
Normandy, provinces of France. Working men, drawn from the more 
dense settlements around Quebec and Montreal, the seats of the bishops, 
the seigneurs, and the Jesuits, were sent out for the purpose of build- 
ing up the ])osts, and of protecting the fur-trade carried on through the 
chain of the great lakes. Despatched for these objects, they were expected 
to endure cheerfully the hardships they would be called on to encounter in 
their establishment. The po})ulation assembled at these posts consisted of 
the military by which they were garrisoned, Jesuits, priests, merchants, 
traders, and peasants. But a small portion of this population, however, 
was stationary. It was moved from place to place, as the interests of the 
French government seemed to require. 

The French commandants at these posts were the most prominent indi- 
viduals, and, with their garrisons, constituted a little monarchy Avithin 
themselves. Their power was arbitrary, extending to the right of doing 
whatever they might deem expedient for the welfare of the settlements, 
whether in making laws or in punishing crimes. Under this simple and 
imperfect form of government, the oldest merchants residing at the several 
posts were reverenced as the head men of their particular colony. Careful 
and frugal in their habits, without nuich of what we should call rigid 
virtue, it was their policy to exercise their influence among the settlers with 
paternal mildness, that they might secure their obedience, to keep on good 
terms with the Indians in order to retain their trade, and they often fostered 
a large number of half-breed children around their posts, who were the 
off-spring of their licentiousness. 

The Coureurn den Bois, or rangers of the woods, were either French or 
half-breeds, a hardy race, accustomed to labor and privation, and thor- 
oughly conversant with the character and habits of the savage tribes from 
which they obtained their furs and peltry. They could, with no less skill 
than the Indians, ply the oar of the light canoe upon the waters of the 
lakes, were equally dexterous in hunting and trapping, and, as they 
pointed their rifles at the squirrel on the top of the tallest tree, they could 
confldently say to their ball, like the ancient warrior, "to the right eye." 
These half-breeds generally spoke the language both of their French and 
Indian parents, and knew just enough of their religion to be alike regard- 
less of that of each. Employed by the Frencli companies as voyageurs or 
guides, their forms, which were midels of manly beauty, were develo])ed to 
great strength by proj)elling the canoe along the lakes and rivers, and by 



COLONIAL PIONEERS. 31 

carrying heavy packs of morchandi.se for the fur-trade across the portages, 
by means of leather straps, suspended from their shoulders or resting 
against their foreheads. From having travelled through numerous points 
of the wilderness, they became familiar with the trails of the most remote 
Indian tribes, and with the dej)th of the water in every inlet and stream 
of the lakes, as well as with every island, rock, and shoal. Their ordinary 
dress W'as a "moleton" or blanket-coat, a red ca]), a belt of cloth passed 
around the middle, and a loose shirt. Sometimes, in tlieir voyages through 
the lakes they Vore a brown coat or cloak, with a cape which could be 
drawn up from their shoulders over their heads like a hood. At other 
times they liad on elkskin trowsers, the seams of which were ornamented 
witli fringes, a surtout of coarse blue cloth reaching to the calf of the leg, 
a scarlet-colored worsted sash fastened ab(jut the waist, in which was stuck 
a broad knife, employed in dissecting the animals taken in hunting, and 
moc(;asins made of buckskin. Atfal)le, gay, and active, these men were 
emj)loyed l)y the French merchants either as guides, canoemen, carriers, or 
traders, to advance into the wilderness and procure their furs from the 
Indians, to transport them along the lakes and streams, and lodge them in 
the several depots or factories which were established in connection with 
the French forts. 

The peasants, or that <'lass of the lake settlers who cultivated small patches 
of ground within the narrow circle of their j)icket-fences, were few. Their 
dress was jieculiar and I'ven wild. They wore surtouts of coarse blue cloth, 
fastened at the middle with a red sash, a scarlet woollen cap containing a 
scalping-kuife, and n)occasins made of deerskin, ('ivilization and barbar- 
ism were here strangely mingled. Groups of Indians from the remotest 
shores of the lakes, wild in their garb, would occasionally make their a])- 
pearance at the settlements with numerous canoes laden with l)eaver-skins, 
which they had l)r(»ughtdown to these [)laces of deposit. Among them were 
intermixed the P"'rench soldiers of the garrison, with their blue coats turned 
up with white facings, and the Jesuits, with their long gowns and black 
bands, from which were suspended by silver chains the rosary and crucilix, 
who, with the priests, had their stations around the forts, and ministered in 
the chapels. 

Agriculture was but little encouraged by the policy of the fur-trade or the 
character of the jiopulation. It was confined to a few patches of Indian 
corn and wheat, which they rudely cultivated, with little knowledge of cor- 
rect husbandry. They ground their grain in windmills, whicii were scat- 
tered along the banks of Detroit river and the St. Clair lake. The recrea- 
tions of the French colonists consisted in attending the religious ser\'ices 
held in the fude chajiels on the borders of the wilderness, in adorning their 
altars with wild tlowers, in dancing to the sound of the violin at each other's 
houses, in hunting the deer through the oak-land openings, and in paddling 
their light canoes across the ck:ar and silent streams. The women em- 
ployed themselves in making coarse cotton and woollen cloths for the Indian 
trade. In their cottages were hung rude pictures of saints, the Madonna 
and child, and the leaden crucifix supplied the place of one of silver. 
Abundance of game straved in the woods, and the waters were alive with 
fish. 

As these immigrnnts were sent out by the French Government, they were 
provided by its direction, through the commissariat department, with can- 
vass fir tents, hoes, axes, sickle^, guns, so many pounds of imwder, and meat, 
with the stipulation that these should be paid for when a certain quantity 
of land had been cleared. 



32 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

The Jesuits, who were the most active agents in the exploration of these 
regions, were, as a class, persons of highly-cultivated and intelligent minds 
and of polished manners. The narratives of their wanderings through the 
wilderness throw a coloring of romance around the prairies, and forests, and 
lakes, which amounts almost to a classic spirit ; yet they have left upon the 
lake-shores but few. monuments either of their benevolence or their enter- 
prise. The success of the Jesuits among the Indians was small compared 
with the'extent of their labors. By the savages these Catholic missionaries 
were regarded as medicine-men and jugglers, on Avhom the destiny of life 
and death depended ; and, although they were greatly feared, they succeed- 
ed in nuiking but few converts to their religious faith, excepting young chil- 
dren or Indians just about to sink into their graves. 

The administration of the law around these scattered posts was founded 
on mi compact and settled system. The Couhnne de Paris, or custom of 
Paris, was the law of Canada ; but this code, although it was received and 
practised upon in the older and more populous settlements of the lower pro- 
vince, was not adopted and enforced with any degre,e of uniformity or strict- 
ness among the more distant colonists. .The commandants of the posts had 
the principal cognizance of the population around them, and exercised their 
authority in a mild though arbitrary manner. Indeed, such was the feudal 
character of this law, that the French ])aid a willing and implicit obedience 
to their commandants, who, being invested with unlimited power, were styled 
the " governors of the posts." A perfect system of law can exist only where 
there ^s sufficient intelligence to mark out and determine the rule of right, 
and sufficient moral power to enforce it. A register was kept, in which the 
character and circumstances of the colonists were recorded, and in which 
the Jesuit or the commandant of the post might inspect the condition of each 
one as upon a map. There was here no system of education like that which 
prevailed in New England ; and all the knowledge acquired by the chil- 
dren of the colonists was obtained from the priests and related to the tenets 
of the Catholic Church. 

A singular form of character was also thrown around the territory by the 
mvthology of the savages. The Indians had not only their good Manitos, 
but their evil spirits ; and the wild features of the lake scenery appears to 
have impressed their savage minds with superstition. They believed that 
all- the prominent points of this wide region were created and guarded by 
monsters ; and the inuiges of these they sculptured on stone, painted upon 
the rocks, or carved upon the trees. Those who obeyed these supernatural 
beings, they thought, would after death range among flowery fields filled 
with the choicest game, while those who neglected their counsels would wan- 
der amid dreary solitudes, stung by " gnats as large as pigeons." 

The plan of distributing the land was calculated to prevent the settlement 
of the country. A law was passed requiring the houses of the inliabitants 
to be ]>]aced upon ground with a front of only one acre and a half and run- 
ning forty acres back. This kept the settlements in a close line along the 
banks of'the streams. A feudal and aristocratic spirit also controlled the 
erants of land. The commandants of the forts had the power to convey 
lands, with the permission of the governor-general of Canada, subject to the 
confirnuitioii of the King of France, the right of shooting hares, rabbits, and 
partridiios l)oiiig reserved to the grantor. The grantee was bound to clear 
and inii)n)ve the land within three years from the date of his deed. The 
timber that might be necessary for the construction of fortifications or ves- 
sels was reserved : and no person was permitted to Avork upon his land at 
the trade of a l)lacksmitli, gunsmith, armorer, or brewer but on pain of for- 



COLONIAL PIONEERS. 33 

feiture. He was forbidden the trafficking in spiritous liquors with the In- 
dians ; and, what Avas the most singular requisition of all, he Avas bound to 
plant or assist in planting a long Maypole at the door of the principal manor 
on the first of j\Iay in each year. Such were the feudal features of this sys- 
tem, equally opposed to the increase of the settlements, to freedom, and in- 
dependence. How striking is the contrast between this system and the {hA- 
iey of our American laws now acting on the soil, which, by furnishing land 
cheap, offer every encouragement to agriculture, and thus freely open the 
treasures of the earth to the labors of our hardy and enterprising citizens. 

As early as 1749, the post of Detroit and the others upon the Northwest- 
ern lakes, ^Michilimackinac, Ste. Marie, and St. Joseph, received an acces- 
sion of immigrants. The last two were called after the saints of those names 
in the Catholic calendar. JMichilimackinac derives its name from the In- 
dian words Michi-mac'ldnac, meaning a great turtle, from its supposed resem- 
blance to that animal, or from the Chipi)ewa Avords Miehine-maukmonk,s\g- 
nifying the place of giant fairies, who were supposed by Indian superstition 
to hover over the Avaters around that beautiful island. The origin of the 
name of Detroit is the French Avord Detroit, signifying a strait, because the 
post Avas situated on the strait connecting I^ake Erie Avith Lake St. Clair. 

During the Avhole period of the French domination, extending from the 
first settlement of the country down to the year 1700, the traffic of Michigan 
Avas confined principally to the trade in furs. This interesting traffic upon 
the great lakes Avas carried cm by the French under peculiar circumstances. 
As the forests of the lake region abounded Avith furs Avhich Avcre of great 
value in the mother-country, it became an important object Avith the Cana- 
dian government to prosecute that trade Avith all the energy in its poAver. 
The rich furs of the beaver and otter A\'ere particularly valuable, from the 
great demand for them in Europe. Large canoes made of bark and strong- 
ly constructed AA'ere despatched annually to the lakes laden Avith packs of 
European merchandise, consisting of blankets, printed calicoes, ribbons, cut- 
lery, and trinkets of various kinds, Avhich the Indians used, and Detroit, 
Micliilinuickinac, and Ste. Marie Avere their principal places of deposit. 

To secure the interests of the large com{)anies, licenses for this trade AA'ere 
granted by the governor-general of Canada to the merchants, Avho sometimes 
sold them to the coureurs des bois. The possessor of one of these licenses 
was entitled to load tAvo large canoes, each of Avhich Avas manned by six 
men. The cargo of one of these canoes Avas valued at about a thousand 
eroAvns. This merchandise Avas sold to the traders on a credit, and at about 
fifteen per cent. adA'ance on the price it Avould command in ready money. 
But the voyages Avere very ])rofitablc, and there Avas generally a gain of 
about one hundred per cent, on the sum invested in the enterprise. The 
traders endured most of the fatigue and the merchants received most of the 
profit. On the return of one of these expeditions, six hundred croAvns AA'ere 
taken by the merchant for his license ; and as he had sold the thousand 
croAvns' Avorth of goods at their prime cost, from this sum he also deducted 
forty per cent, for bottomry ; the remainder Avas then divided among the 
six coureurs de.s bois, Avho Avere thus left Avith but a small compensation for 
all their perils and hardship. 

The cfliireiirs des io/xAvere the active agents of the fur-trade. Thoroughly 
acquainted with the navigation of the lakes, they fearlessly SAvept along the 
Avaters of these inland seas, encamping at night ujMm its shores. Of mixed 
Avhite and Indian blood, they formed the connecting link betAveen civiliza- 
tion and barbarism. Their dre.ss Avas also demi-savage. LiA'cly and san- 
guine, they were at all times ready to join the Indians in the dance, or pay 
C 



34 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

respect to their ceremonies. Their French fathers had familiarly associated 
with the native tribes, and their mothers and wives were the inmates of 
Indian camps. In many respects their character resembled that of mari- 
ners upon the ocean, for the same general causes might be said to operate 
upon both. Instead of navigating the high seas in ships tossed by storms, 
and ploughing the waves from port to port, it was their lot to propel their 
light canoes over the fresh-water seas of the forest ; where, hurried from one 
Indian village to another, like the mariner on the ocean, they acquired all 
those habits which belong to an unsettled and wandering life. 

Advancing to the remote shores of Lake Su]ierior or Lake Michigan, and 
following the courses of the rivers which flow into them, as soon as they 
reached the points where the Indians were in the habit of resorting, they at 
once encamped. Here they opened their packages of goods, exhibited them 
to their savage customers, and exchanged them for furs ; and, having dis- 
posed of all their merchandise, and loading their canoes with the peltries it 
had procured, they bade adieu to their Indian friends, and started on their 
voyage back, with feathers stuck in their hats, keeping time with their pad- 
dles to the Canadian boat-song. 

La Honton, in his Journal, which was published in France, and a trans- 
lation of which was afterward puljlished in this country, gives an interesting 
account of the fur-trade, showing the general course of that traffic while the 
Canadas were under the French. The author resided at Montreal. At this 
time (1688 ) Michiliniackinac was the principal stopping place for the traders 
on their way from I\Iontreal or Detroit to the forests bordering on Lake Su- 
perior. Here their goods were deposited, and here the furs were collected 
for their return freight. Sometimes, however, the traders, accompanied by 
numerous canoes of the Ottawas, would proceed directly to the older settle- 
ments on the St. Lawrence, where they supposed they might be able to dis- 
pose of their cargoes to greater advantage than at the interior posts. 

The following is La Hontou's account of the fur-trade at the period re- 
ferred to : 

"Much about the same day," says he, "there arrived twenty-five or thirty 
canoes, being homeward bound from the great lakes, and laden with beaver- 
skins. The cargo of each canoe amounted to forty packs, each of Avhich 
weighs fifty pounds, and will fetch fifty crowns at the farmer's office. The^e 
canoes were followed by fifty more of the Ottawas and Hurons, who come 
down every year to the colony in order to make a bettor market than they 
can do in their own country of Michiliniackinac, which lies on the banks of 
the Lake of Hurcnis, at the mouth of the Lake of Illinese (Michigan ). Their 
way of trading is as follows : 

"Upon their arrival they encamp at the distance of five or six hundred 
paces from the town. The first day is spent in ranging their canoes, unload- 
ing their goods, and pitching their tents, which arc made of birch bark. 
The next day they demand audience of the governor-general, which is 
granted them that same day, in a public place. 

"Upon this occasion each nation makes a ring for itself. The savages sit 
upon the gnjund with pipes in their mouths, and the governor is seated in 
an arm-chair; after which there starts uji an orator or speaker from one of 
these nations, who makes an harangue importing that his brethren arc come 
to visit the governor-general, to renew with him their wcmted friendship; 
that their chief view is to promote the interest of the French, some of Avhom 
being unacquainted with the way of traffic, and being too weak for the trans- 
porting of goods from the lakes, would be unable to deal in beaver-skins if 
his brethren did not come in person to deal with them in their own colonics. 



STRUGGLE BETWEEX FRANCE AND ENGLAND. 35 

That they knew very well how acceptable their arrival is to the inhabitants 
of Montreal, in regard of the advantage they reap from it ; that, in regard 
to the beaver-skins, they were much valued in France, and the French goods 
given in exchange were of an inconsiderable value; and that they mean to 
give the French sufKcient proof of their readiness to furnish them with what 
they desire so earnestly. 

" That, by way of j^reparation for another year's cargo, they are come to 
take in exchange fusees, and powder and ball, in order to hunt great num- 
bers of beavers, or to gall the Iroquese in case they offered to distui'b the 
French settlements; and, in fine, in confirmation of their words, that tliey 
throw a porcelain collar (belt of wampum), with some beaver-skiiis, to the 
kitchi-okima (so they call the governor-general), whose protection they laid 
claim to in case of any r()l)bcry or abuse committed upon them in tlic town. 
The spokesman having mad(> an end of his speech, returns to his place and 
takes up his pipe, and tlie interpreter explains the substance of the harangue 
to the governor, Avho comnKmly gives a very civil answer, especially if the 
presents be valuable, in consideration of which he likewise makes tliem a 
present of some trifling things. This done, the savages rise up and return 
to their huts, to make suitable preparation for the ensuing truck. 

" The next day the savages make their slaves carry the skins to the houses 
of the merchants, who bargain with them for such clothes as they want. 
All the inhabitants of jMontreal are allowed to traffic with them in any 
commodity but rum and brandy, these two being excepted upon the account 
that when the savages have got what they want, and have any skins left, 
they drink to excess, and then kill their slaves ; for when they are in drink 
they quarrel and figlit, and if they were not held by those who are sober, 
would certainly make havoc one of another. HoAvever, you must observe 
that none of them will toucli either gold or silver. As soon as the savages 
have made an end of their truck, they take leave of the governor, and so 
return home by the river Ottawas. To conclude, they do a great deal of 
good, both to the poor and rich, for you will readily apprehend that every- 
body turns merchant upon such occasions." 

To the question what was the condition of the Northwest territory when 
it was claimed and occupied by France, we can furnish a ready answer. 
It was a vast ranging-ground f >r the numerous Indian tribes, wIk^ roamed 
over it in all the listless indolence of their savage independence; of the 
Jesuit missionaries, who, under the garb of their religious orders, strove to 
gain the influence of the red men in behalf of their Government as well as 
their Church, by their conversion to the Catholic faith ; the theatre of the 
most important military operations of the French soldiers at the West; and 
the grand mart where the furs, wliich were deemed the most valuable pro- 
ducts of this region, were collected for shipment to France, under a com- 
mercial system which was originally projected by the Cardinal de Richelieu. 

The condition of a country, although often in some measure modified by 
the nature of the climate and the soil, is more generally founded u])on the 
character of the people and that of its laws. This is clearly exiiibited in 
the case of the Northwest; fir while that domain was rich in all the natural 
• advantages that could be furnished by tne soil, it was entirelv barren of all 
those moral and intellectual fruits springing from bold and energetic charac- 
ter, directed by a free, enlightened, and wholesome system of jurisj)rudence. 

STRUGGLE BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND FOR POSSESSION 

"While the forests were thus reposing in the silence of nature, broken only 
by the peaceful operations of the fur-trade, more important events were 



36 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

transpiring beyond their eastern boundary. From the Atlantic to Quebec, 
France and England, who seemed to have transferred their hereditary 
hatred from the Old World to the New, had been long struggling to obtain 
undivided dominion over the northern portion of the latter. Backed by 
Indian allies, who leagued themselves with one or the other, as they were 
influenced by caprice or a desire to prostrate some hostile tribe, these two 
great powers engaged in a desperate struggle for supremacy. The whole 
of Canada, Illinois, and the territory thence to the borders of the Mississippi 
were then claimed by the French, Avhile the English occupied most of the 
country east of the Alleghany Mountains. 

Both nations found efficient auxiliaries among the Indian tribes. On the 
side of the English were the Iroquois, called by them the Six Nations. 
These combined tribes formed the most powerful savage confederacy then 
existing on the continent. It consisted of the Onondagas, the Cayugas, the 
Senecas, the Oneidas, and the Mohawks, and in 3712 the Tuscaroras of 
North Carolina were received into the league. Their domain embraced a 
very extensive tract of country, and from time to time it was enlarged by 
new conquests. They were robust and muscular, and delighted in orna- 
menting their persons with the finery so highly prized by the Indians, such 
as medals, ribbons, the skins of wild beasts, and porcupine quills dyed of 
various colors. They possessed great energy, decision, and perseverance, 
and, when excited, were remarkable for the force and eloquence with which 
they spoke. Towards the west they claimed sujDremacy over the country 
as far as the Mississippi, and towards the northwest as far as ITudson's Bay; 
in short, all that was not occupied by the Southern Indians, the Sioux, the 
Knisteneaux, and the Chippewas. Their affairs were conducted with more 
system than those of the more western tribes. Every year they held a grand 
council, consisting of representatives from each nation, at Onondaga, in the 
present State of New York. Their youth were taught to bend the bow 
before their muscles were sufficiently strong to propel the arrow to its mark, 
and to grapple with the wild beasts of the forests as they would with the 
French, or their enemies the Algonquins. The cause of their attachment to 
the English is not known ; but it was probably in part caprice, and partly 
a desire to overthrow the power of their rivals Avho have been mentioned. 
When their naked and painted warriors appeared on the edge of the forest, 
it was always a signal that mischief was at hand. "We are born free: we 
neither depend on Onondio nor Corlaer" (France nor England), said Haas- 
kouan to De la Barre in 1684, and the course they pursued was the per- 
formance of this declaration. 

The Algonquins, on the other hand, were the allies of the French. The 
territory of this nation extended from Lake Erie along the whole chain of 
the upper lakes to Lake Winnepeg and Hudson's Bay on the north, and to 
the mouth of the Ohio river on the south. They were connected with the 
tribes immediately east of the St. Lawrence, and with those in the interior 
of New England. There were two powerful tribes, however, Avhieh were 
not connected with this league, the Hurons and the Foxes. The Hurons 
were of Iroquois origin; but, from causes which are not known, they had 
severed from that confederacy, and taken part with the French ; while the 
Foxes, who were of the Algon(iuiu race, sided with the English. The causes 
of the Friendship entertained by the Algonquins residing on the l)orders of 
the lakes for the former are obvious. The French mingled familiarly with 
them, and endeavored by all possible means to secure their good-will. The 
traders visited their villages and took to themselves Indian wives. The 
Jesuit missionaries erected chapels in their camps, presented to them sculp- 



STRUGGLE BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND. 37 

turcd images, styling them their patron saints, held the crucifix before the 
dying, offered up their devotions with them before the picture of the Virgin, 
and planted the cross upon their graves. The French and Indians liunted 
together, lodged in the same wigwam, and drank from the same cuj). On 
the contrary, the English were cold, distant, and forliidding in their man- 
ners: how, then, coidd the Algonquins be friendly to them, or how the ene- 
mies of the French ? 

For a long time these savages had been sent out into the neighboring 
wilderness to attack the feeble settlements upon their borders, and to bring 
back the scalps of their murdered victims. Many a spot was made wet 
with the blood of its unfortunate inhabitants, and many a red column of Brit- 
ish regulars wavered before the rifles of the combined French and Indians, 
covered by some swamp, or fighting from behind a breastwork of fallen 
trees. The fcjrcsts were often lighted up by the conflagration of l)urning 
villages, and the midnight solitude was startled liy the shrieks of I'cmales 
under the tomahawk or scalping-knife, and mocked by human fiends, whose 
horrid thirst for blood Avas no less insatiable than that of the wolves which 
howled about their camps. 

It was at length determined by the British Government to make a pow- 
erful effort to possess themselves of the French colonies. Both France and 
England, it will be recollected, claimed these countries on the same grounds : 
that is, original discovery, conquest, and appropriation. 

In 1757 the Earl of Chatham projected a campaign of a very formid- 
able character against the French colonies, and the last great struggle 
soon conmieuced. Twelve thousand British sold'vTS arrived in this country, 
under the command of General Amherst ; and, at the same time, bodies of 
rangers, trained to tlie mode of fighting peculiar to the French and Indians, 
and also to the hardships of the forest, or what was called the " Avoods ser- 
vice," were brought into the field under the cnnnnand of a citizen of New 
Hampshire, Major Robert Rogers, to co-operate with the British regulars 
and the colonial troops. 

Numerous positions having been occuj)ied along the lake shores and the 
borders of the French colonies, in 1759 it was determined to ])ring the 
question to a speedy and decisive issue. It was proposed to divide the 
English army into three parts, and to penetrate to the very heart of Canada 
in three different directions, with a view to overthrow the French pi)wer at 
a single blow. Brigadier General Wolfe, a young and gallant officer, was 
ordered to ascend the St. Lawrence and lay siege to Quebec. The duty 
assigned to General Amherst was to seize on Ticouderoga and Crown Point, 
and thence to proceed by the way of Lake Champlain and the St. Law- 
rence river to Quebec, to co-operate with General Wolfe in the siege of that 
])lai'e. The third division of the arm}-, under the command of General 
Prideaux, was destined to attack Niagara, and, after obtaining possession 
of it, to be embarked on Lake Ontario, and proceed against Montreal. If 
that city should surrender before Quebec, General Prideaux was to unite 
liis forces with those of General Wolfe, under the walls of the latter. Gen- 
eral Amiierst, after making great exertions, was obliged to retire into 
winter quarters without accomplishing his object. General Prideaux, as 
he had been directed, advanced against Niagara, which was garrisoned by 
a budy of French troops from Detroit, Venango, and Presque Isle, and 
succeeded in capturing that po.st. 

The most difficult and important branch of the attack had been entrusted 
III Wolfe. Tho ICnglish fleet, having on board eight thousand men, under 
the conunand of this general, soon reached the Inland of Orleans, ()])posite 



38 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

to Quebec, in the St. Lawrence river. The French force amounted to nine 
thousand men. The English were led on by a young officer, whose war- 
cry, like that of Nelson at a later period, was " Victory or Westminster 
Abbey." The first attack made by him was upon Montmorenci, where his 
troops were landed under cover of a fire from the ships-of-war. Here at 
last, then, on the broad St. Lawrence, Avere unfurled the hostile banners of 
these great rival nations. The glory of the two crowns was at stake. The 
cross of England glowed brightly upon its crimson ground, amid martial 
music, and floating above thousands of muskets glittering in the beams of 
the morning sun. Nor was the French force wanting in the gallantry 
which distinguished their opponents. The lilies embroidered upon the folds 
of their flag were borne aloft in triumph above hearts as brave as ever beat 
in human bosoms. Tribes of savages were seen armed and painted for the 
struggle which was to decide the destinies of these mighty rivals. The 
French force was commanded by a gallant and chivalrous officer, the 
Marquis de Montcalm. Before them lay the great river of Canada ; beside 
them were the walls of Quebec, the stronghold of their power ; and at a 
distance were seen the Falls of Montmorenci, glittering like a sheet of 
molten silver as they tumbled from the clifl!s. 

The effective force under IMontcalm consisted of about ten thousand men, 
and his position Avas defended by floating batteries and armed vessels. 
Wolfe, by way of stratagem, sailed nine miles up the river, in order to dis- 
tract the attention of the French army : when the French commander de- 
tached M. Bougainville with a strong force to that point to prevent the 
English from landing. But about midnight the boats of the British ships 
floated silently down the St. Lawrence, and, being hailed by the French 
sentinels Avho Avere stationed on its banks Avith the cry of " Who comes 
there?" the English, Avho kncAV their Avatclnvord, replied "La France," and 
Avere suffered to proceed unmolested to their point of debarcation. 

At about four o'clock in the morning the British troops began to land, 
not having been discovered in their progress doAvn the river. Soon after 
they commenced ascending the precipitous declivity Avhich leads to the 
Heights of Abraham. They Avere protected by two field-pieces, and their 
front Avas covered hy the Royal Americans, a corps raised in Ncav York and 
New England, as also by a reserve of one regiment and the light infantry. 
They soon gained the heights and prepared for battle. The Marquis de 
Montcalm, the moment he discovered the English troops in possession of 
these important heights, sallied from Beauport Avith cmly a single field-piece. 
The two hostile armies soon met. The Canadian marksmen and Indian 
allies, no less expert with the rifle, Avere detached by the French commander 
to conceal themseh'es among the bushes and corn-fields, from Avliieh they 
could most effectually annoy the enemy. The French troops advanced Avith 
great firmness, although composed fi)r the most ])art of raAV and undisciplined 
militia. As soon as they had reached Avithin about tAvo hundred yards of 
the British line, they commenced a sharp but irregular fire, supported by 
the Indians and the Canadian marksmen, Avho Avith their rifles did great 
execution. But they Avere met by that unshaken courage and obstinate de- 
termination Avhich are characteristic of British soldiers: and the Scotch 
Highlanders, Avith their broadsAvords, making terril)Ie havoc in their ranks, 
the French columns began to Avaver. General Wolfe, in the commencement 
of the action, received a ])u]]et in his wrist while gallantly leading his men 
to the charge; but, winding a handkerchief al)out tlie wound, he continued 
to fight on as though nothing had occurred. A second l)all soon after struck 
him in the breast, and he foil. While leaniuir his head on the shoulder of 



STRUGGLE BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND. 39 

his officers, he was startled from tlie lethargy of death by shouts from his 
ranks: "They fly! they fly!" "Who fly'/" he faintly inquired. "The 
French," was the reply. " Then," said he, " I die liappy ;" and his sj)irit 
de])arted amid the thunders of the battle. The Manpiis de Montcalm, the 
commander of the French army, was also mortally wounded, and died a few 
days after the engajfement. lilonuments have been erected to these two 
heroes in the city of Quebec. The remains of the French army, retiring to 
Montreal, demanded a capitulation, which was granted. Accordingly, in 
November, 17(50, articles of agreement were entered into between General 
Amherst and the Marquis de Vaudreuil, by which the latter surrendered to 
the Crown of England Detroit, Michilimackinac, and all the posts within 
the government of Canada that were in possession of the French. 

A few days after the signing of this capitulation, IMajor Ilogers was de- 
tached by (Jeneral Amherst, at the head of a competent force, to take jiosses- 
siou of the distant posts on the frcmtier, to administer to the French inhab- 
itants there the oath of allegiance, and effectually to establish the power of 
England in place of that of France. He was ordered to emljark his troops 
iu boats, on Lake Erie, stopping on his way at Presque Isle, to nuike known 
to the officer of that j)()st the instructions he had received. Pic was also the 
bearer of despatches to Brigadier (Jenerai 3Ionkton, which he was to deliver 
and receive from that officer his flnal orders as to the manner in which he 
should proceed to take possession of Detroit, Michilimackinac, and the other 
French posts. Having accomplished the objects of the expedition, he was 
to return in compliance with the orders that might be given him by General 
Monkton, transi)ort his boats across the portage of Niagara Falls into Lake 
Ontario, where they were t;) be delivered into the hands of his commanding 
officer, and thence he was to march his detachment by land t ) All)any. 

In obedience to these instructions, jNIajor Ilogers embarked the force 
assigned him in fifteen whale-boats at jMontreal. On arriving at Fort Fron- 
teuac he met with a party of Indians who wei*e out upon a hunting excur- 
sion, and communicated to them the first news of the capitulation. They 
found these savages friendly, and were supplied by them with wild fowl and 
venison. Soon after they fell in with another body of about fifty Indians, 
on a stream which flows into Lake Ontai-io, where they were taking salmon. 
They all appeared to be gratified with the intelligence that the French had 
surrendered the country. After arriving at Toronto, the detachment were 
not long in reaching Niagara, where they provided themselves with mocca- 
sins, blankets, and such other articles as were necessary for the ex])edition. 
Proceeding on their way to Detroit they soon reached Presque Isle, from 
which point Rogers embarkerl in a canoe and proceeded to the old site of 
Fort Duquesne, now called Pittsl)urg. Here he found Brigadier General 
jNIonkton, and delivered to him the despatches he had brought from General 
Amherst. A detachment (jf Royal Americans, or colonial troops, under 
Captain Campbell, were marched from this post for the purpose of aiding 
him in so hazardous an expedition. At the same time an oflicer was ordered 
t ) drive forty fat cattle from Presque I.slc to Detroit, where it was sup])osed 
they would be wanted by the troojis. Captain AVait was also sent back to 
Niagara for provisions, and directed on his return to coast along the north- 
ern shore of Lake Erie and encamp about twenty miles east of Detroit. 
Thus started the first English military expedition that had ever ventured 
upon the western shore of Lake ICrie f >r the jjurpose of wresting from the 
French their possessions in these distant regions. 

At this time api)eared Pontiac. a chief who was destined to figure largely 
iu the history of this territory at a subsequent period. Hb residence was 



40 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Pechee Island, which looks out upon the waters of Lake St. Clair, about 
eight miles above the city of Detroit. An Ottawa by birth, and belonging 
to a tribe which claimed to be the oldest in this quarter, he was greatly 
esteemed both by the English and French. Thus his influence was greater 
than that of any other individual among the lake tribes. His personal 
qualities, indeed, were such as to ensure respect; and he possessed, more- 
over, hereditary claims to authority, according to the customs of the Indians. 
His form was cast in the finest mould of savage grace and strength, and his 
eye seemed capable of penetrating at a glance the secret motives which 
actuated the tribes around him. Such Avas Pontiac, the daring chief who 
was about to dispute the English claims to the territory of the lakes. He 
could not endure the sight of this people driving the game from his hunting- 
grounds, and his old friends and allies, the French, from the lands they had 
so long possessed. Accordingly, when he was apprized that an English 
detachment was advancing along the lakes to take possession of the country, 
he could not restrain his indignation. Forthwith he despatched a body of 
Ottawas from Detroit, with a message to the English, who were then en- 
camped at the mouth of Chogage river, informing them that Pontiac, the 
King of the country where they were, was approaching, and requesting them 
to stop until he should arrive. Pontiac, on reaching the English camp, 
demanded of Rogers the business on which he had come, and how he dared 
to enter his country without his permission. Major Rogers replied that he 
had no designs against the Indians, and that his only object was the removal 
of the French, who had hitherto been the means of preventing all friendly 
relations between his tribes and the English. Pontiac then gave him to 
understand that he should stand in his path until the morning, and at the 
same time presented him with a small string of wampum, signifying that he 
forbade the English detachment from advancing any farther without his 
permission. He also told Major Rogers that if he was in Avant of any food 
he would send his warriors, and they should procure it for him. 

A council having in the meantime been held, Pontiac made his appear- 
ance in the English camp the next morning, saying that he had the most 
friendly disposition towards the English, and he smoked the pipe of peace 
wuth their commander. At the same time, he informed Rogers that he would 
protect him against a party of Indians who had stationed themselves at the 
mouth of the Detroit river'; and he sent also several of his warriors to assist 
Captain Brewer in bringing on the cattle Avhich he Avas driving to Detroit. 
In addition to this, he despatched messengers to the Indians encamped on 
the Detroit river, and to those on the north and Avest shores of Lake Erie, 
to inform them that he had given the English permission to pass through 
his territory ; and, still farther to evince his friendship, he supplied them 
Avith .venisDU, Avild turkeys, and several bags of parched corn. 

Encamping at some distance from the moutli of the Detroit river, Rogers 
despat(^hed tlie following letter to M. Bellestre, the French commandant at 
Detroit : 
" To Captain Bellestre, or the Officer Commanding at Detroit: 

" Sir : — That you may not be alarmed at the apjjroach of the English 
troops under my command Avhen I come to Detroit, I send forAvard this by 
Lieutenant Brheme, to acquaint you that I have General Amherst's orders 
to take possession of Detroit and such other posts as are in that district, 
Avliich, by capitulalion agreed to and signed by Marquis de Vaudreuil and 
CJeneral Amherst, the 8th of September last, now belong to Great Britain. 
I have with me the Manpiis de Vaudreuil's letters to you, directed for yuur 



STRUGCxLE BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND. 41 

guidance on this occasion, which letters I shall deliver you when I am at 
or near your post, and shall encamp the troops I have with me at some dis- 
tance from the fort, till you have reasonable time to be made acquainted 
with the JMarquis de Vaudreuil's instructions and the capitulation, a copy 
of which I have with me likewise. 

" I am, sir, your humble servant, 

" Robert Rogers." 

After this he encamped with his detachment on a stream which empties 
into Lake Erie. Here he found a number of Huron chiefs, who inquired 
of him whether the reports which they had heard in regard to the surren- 
der of the territory were true ; ai)prizing him, at the same time, that they 
had been sent out by M. Bellestre for the purpose of defending the country, 
and to obtain information as to the events wduch had transpired below. 
Rogers confirmed the fact of the capitulation, and made a speech to the 
Hurons of the most conciliatory character ; after which he encamped at 
the west end of Lake Erie with his detachment. The next day he met with 
a party of Indians, who told him that Bellestre was "a strong man," and 
that he intended to fight the English. Not long after, sixty Indians, Avho 
said that they had come from Detroit the previous day, arrived at his camp. 
They offered to conduct the English detachment to that place, and informed 
Rogers that M. Brheme, who had been sent by him with the letter, had 
been imprisoned by the French comnumdant. 

While the English were thus advancing towards Detroit, the French 
commandant was not idle. He had collected round his ])ost numerous 
tribes of savages, and, knowing that they were strongly impressed by symbols, 
he had caused a i)ole to be erected, with the image of a num's head on the 
toj), and u|)()n this was placed a crow. He told the Indians that the head 
i-epresented the English, and the crow himself, and that the meaning of it 
all was, that the French would scratch out the brains of their enemies. 
The Indians, however, Avould not l)elieve it, and expressed their ap])rehen- 
sions tliat the reverse would be the fact, and that the English at Detroit 
would scratch out the brains of the French. 

About this time Rogers received the following letter from the com- 
mandant of Detroit : 

"Sir: — I received the letter you wrote me by one of your officers, but, 
as I have no interpreter, cannot fully answer it. The officer that delivered 
me yours gives me to understand that he was sent to give me notice of your 
arrival to take possession of this garrison, according to the capitulation 
made in Canada ; that you have likewise a letter from INIonsicur Vaudreuil 
directed to me. I beg, sir, you will halt your troops at the entrance of the 
river till you send me the capitulation and the Marquis de Vaudreuil's 
letter, that I may act in conformity thereto. 

" I have the honor to be, &c., &(.'., 

" De Bellestre." 

Shortly after, on the 2")th of November, the English commander received 
the letter inserted below from M. Bellestre : 

"Detroit, 25th Nov., 1760. 
" Sir : — T have already, by ^Mr. Barrager, acquainted you with the reasons 
why I could not answer particularly the letter which was delivered me the 
22d instant by the officer you sent to me. I am entirely unacquainted with 
tlie reasons of his not returning to you. I sent my Huron interpreter to 
that nation, and told liim to stop them should they be on tlie road, not 

C * 



42 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

knowing positively whether they were inclined to favor you or us ; and to 
tell them from me they should behave peaceably ; that I knew what I 
owed to my general, and that, when the capitulation should be settled, I 
was obliged to obey. The said interpreter has orders to wait on you and 
deliver you this. 

" Be not surprised, sir, if along the coast you find the inhabitants upon 
their guard. It was told them you had several Indian nations with you, to 
whom you had promised permission to plunder ; nay, that they were even 
resolved to force you to it. I have therefore allowed the said inhabitants 
to take to their arms, as it is for your safety and preservation as well as 
ours ; for, should those Indians become insolent, you may not, perhaps, in 
your present situation, be able to subdue them alone. 

" I flatter, myself, sir, that, as soon as this shall come to hand, you will 
send me, by some of the gentlemen you have with you, both the capitula- 
tion and Monsieur de Vaudreuil's letter. 
" I have the honor to be, sir, 

" Your very humble and obedient servant, 

" De Bellestre." 

After advancing five miles farther up the Detroit river, Rogers the next 
day sent a second letter, of which the following is a copy, by Captain Camp- 
bell : 

"Sir: — I acknowledge the receipt of your two letters, both of which were 
delivered to me yesterday. Mr. Brheme has not yet returned. The enclosed 
letter from the Marquis de Vaudreuil will inf )rm you of the surrender of 
all Canada to the King of Great Britain, and of the great indulgence granted 
to the inhabitants, as also of the terms granted to the troops of his most 
Christian majesty. Captain Campbell, wliom I have sent forward with this 
letter, will show you the capitulation. I desire you will not detain him, as 
I am determined, agreeable to my instructions from General Amherst, speed- 
ily to relieve your post. I shall stop the troops I have with me at the 
hither end of the town till four o'clock, by which time I expect your answer. 
Your inhabitants will not surprise me: as yet I have seen no other in that 
position but savages waiting for my orders. I can assure you, sir, the inhab- 
itants of Detroit shall not be molested, they and you complying with the 
capitulation, l)ut be protected in the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their 
estates; neither shall they be pillaged by my Indians, nor by yours that 
have joined me. 

" I am, &c., Robert Rogers. 

"To Captain Bellestre, 

Commanding at Detroit." 

After despatching this letter he pushed his boats up the Detroit river to 
within half a mile of the fort, and encamped his detachment in a field. 

The English camp was soon visited by Captain Campbell and a French 
officor, who presented to IMajor Rogers M. Bellestre's compliments, stating 
that he was instructed by tliat officer to inform him that the post had been 
surrendered. Lieutenants LeffHe and IMcCormick were then sent with thirty- 
six Royal Americans, who immediately took ])ossessi<)ii of the fort; when 
the Indians, to the number of seven hundred, who luul been collected tlicrc 
by the Frencli commander, set up a tremendous yell, exulting that their 
prophecy concerning the crow had been verified. 

Major Rogers now formally took possession of this important post, receiv- 
ing at the same time a plan of the fort, and a list of the warlike and other 



CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY UNDER THE ENGLISH. 43 

stores. The French comnmncUint uud the troops forming the garrison were 
phiced under the charge of Lieutenant Hohnes, with thirty Kangers, to be 
conducted to Phihadelphia. Twenty men were also sent to escort the French 
soldiers from the posts of i\Iiami and Gatauois, and the command of the fort 
was given to Captain Cam])bell. Kogers, having made a treaty with the 
neighboring Indians, set out with a party to Lake Huron for the purpose of 
taking possession of Michilimackinac; but the ice in the lake so obstructed 
his passage that he could not proceed by water, and the Indians told him 
that it would be impossible for him to reach that place by land without 
sn<jw-shoes. Accordingly, having replaced the ammunition and stores which 
he had taken with him at Detroit, he left that post on the 21st of Novem- 
ber, 17G0, after intrusting to Captain Campbell its command. With the 
change of jurisdiction thus efiected, a new scene will now o])en upon us. 

CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY UNDER THE ENGLISH. 

No material change took place in the condition of the country in conse- 
quence of its surrender to the English. The capitulation of i\Ionti'eal per- 
mitted the French emigrants to remain in the territory and to enjoy undis- 
turbed their civil and religious rights. Agriculture was no more encouraged 
than before, and the same general plan continued to be pursued in conduct- 
ing the fur-trade. No land was allowed to be purchased directly of the 
Indians, nor were the English commandants, styled governors, permitted to 
make any grants of land except within certain prescribed limits. The set- 
tlements of the French, however, continued to extend, and their long, nar- 
row farms, surrounded by pickets and fronted by houses of l)ark or logs and 
their roofs thatched with straw, were seen stretching along the ])anks of all 
the i)rincipai streams. There were as yet no schools, and the instruction of 
the children continued to be conlided entirely to the Catholic priests. Be- 
fore that time peltries had constituted almost the only medium of traffic, but 
now English coin began to be introduced. Horses were for a long time 
unknown at Detroit, the first having been brouglit there, it is said, from Fort 
Duquesue after Braddock's defeat. 

Although the English had acquired possession of the country, it had been 
against the will of the Indians. The design of Pontiac probably was to lead 
the English into his territory only that he might have a better opportunity 
to destroy them. He believed that it was their intention to drive him from 
his lands, and he therefore considered them as dangerous intruders. His 
si)acious domain, its waters abounding with fish and its woods with game, 
had now fallen into the hafids of a people whom he had always looked upon 
as his enemy. Some of the Indians had been struck by the British officers 
in the garrison, an indignity which their savage natures could not endure, 
and they readily joined with their chief to expel these hated strangers from 
their country. 

Pontiac was not long in circulating war-belts among all the ])rincipal 
tribes on the borders of the lakes, and he formed a chain of operations ex- 
tending more than a thousand miles along their waters. He flattered him- 
self that if the British garristms could lie destroyed or driven away he should 
afterward be able cirectually to defend the country against farther intrusion 
by means of his own strength combined with that of his savage allies. A 
grand council of the Indians was acct>rdingly soon assembled at the Iliver 
Aux Ecorce, and Pontiac addressed them in person. He told them that it 
was the design of the ICnglish to drive the Indians from their country, and 
that they were their natural and inveterate enemies. He also assured them 



44 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

that the Great Spirit had appeared to a Delaware Indian in a dream and 
thus addressed him : " Why do you suffer these dogs in red clothing " (the 
English) " to enter your country and take the land I gave you ? Drive 
them from it : and then, when you are in distress, I will help you." He 
also exhibited to them a war-belt, which he said the French King had sent 
over from France, ordering them to drive out the British and make way for 
the return of the French. 

The shores of the lakes were soon alive with bodies of Indian warriors, 
who had abandoned their hunting-grounds and camps and were repairing 
to the posts on the frontier. Among these were seen the Ottawas, the Chip- 
pewas, the Miamis, the Pottowatomies, the Missisagas, the Shawanese, the 
Ottagamies, and the Winnebagoes, besides parties from numerous other 
tribes. At about the same time they attacked the Forts of Le Boeuf, Ve- 
nango, Presque Isle, Michilimackinac, St. Joseph, Miami, Green Bay, Ouia- 
tonon, Pittsburg, and Sandusky. Their military operations, indeed, extended 
along the entire line of the waters of the lower lakes. 

This general and simultaneous attack was made in the month of INIay, 
1763, and was so sudden and wholly unexpected that the garrisons were 
all taken by surprise. Detroit was then the most important station upon 
the lakes, and was garrisoned by one hundred and twenty-two men and 
eight officers. Major Gladwin being the commandant. Three rows of 
pickets surrounded the fort in the form of a square. Most of the houses of 
the French were situated within these pickets, that they might be pro- 
tected by the guns of the fort. The inhabitants were provided with arms 
and ammunition. Within the pickets there was also a circular space, which 
was named by the French Le chemin du Ronde, from its being a place of 
deposit for arms ; and over the gates of the fort, and at each of its corners, 
there were small dwellings. The town was defended in front by an armed 
schooner named the Beaver, moored in the river, which at this point is 
about three-quarters of a mile wide. The post commanded the great chan- 
nel of communication fx-om Lake Michigan to Buffalo and Pittslnirg ; its 
possession, therefore, was an object of great importance ; and Pontiac, who 
was the chief director of the confederacy, undertook its reduction in per- 
son. 

His plan w^as one which strikingly exhibits the cunning which is so 
characteristic of the Indians. He intended to take the fort by surprise ; 
and for this purpose he ordered a party of his warriors to saw off their 
rifles so short that they could conceal them under their blankets, and, 
under a feigned pretence, to gain admission into the fort, and massacre the 
garrison. To carry out his design, he encamped at a short distance from 
the post, and sent word to the commandant that he was desirous of holding 
a council with him, that " they might brighten the chain of peace." On 
the evening of that day, an Indian Avoman, by the name of Catharine, 
brought to ]\rajor Gladwin a pair of moccasins which she had been em- 
ployed to make for him, and he was so much pleased with them that he 
gave her an elk-skin, and told her to take it home and nuike from it several 
pairs more. She took the skin, but continued to linger about the gate of 
the fort as if her business were unfinished ; and the singularity of her con- 
duct attracted attention. Major Gladwin accordingly ordered her to be 
called back, and incpiired of" her why she did not hasten home, that she 
might finish the moccasins by the time he had required them to be done. 
The woman remarked that she did not like to take the skin away, as he 
seemed to prize it so much, since she feared '' i<he could never brinp it back.'" 

with some secret, and, after being pressed, 



CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY UNDER TCE ENGLISH. 4,'] 

she developed the whole plot. Major Gladwin immediately ordered the 
guards to be doubled, and sentinels to be stationed on the ramparts. 

As night approached, fires were seen in the Indian camp, and their Avar- 
songs were distinctly heard, so that the English commandant was convinced 
that something important was contemplated by them, and that the woman 
had told the truth, as the savages always excite themselves in this manner 
l)reparatory to any great entcri)rise they are about to undertake. 

The next morning, according to previous arrangement, Pontiac and his 
warriors repaired to the fort. As he was advancing, he noticed that there 
was an unusual number of soldiers upon the ramparts, and that the officers 
all had pistols in their belts. Having entered the council-house, or the 
])lace assigned for the meeting, he opened the discussion with a speech, in 
\vhich he made great professions of friendship for the English. As the 
time approached when, as the Avoman had stated, the belt was to be deliv- 
ered and a fire upon the garrison commenced, his gestures became more 
vehement. At this moment the governor and his officers drew their swords, 
and the English soldiers made a clattering upon the ground with their 
nuiskets. Pontiac himself was now the party surprised, but he continued 
perfectly calm and unmoved. 

The commandant soon commenced his reply, but, instead of thanking the 
chief for his professions of friendship, he charged him Avith ])eing a traitor, 
and, to convince him of his knoAvledge of the plot, he stepp(Ml f )r\vard to 
the Indian Avho sat on his skin nearest to him, and, opening his blanket, 
exposed the shortened rifle. At the same, time, addressing himself to the 
Avarriors, he told them instantly to leave the fort, as his men, should they 
discover their treachery, Avould shoAV them no raei'cy. He also assured 
them that they Avould be permitted to go out^n safety, as he had promised 
them his protection. 

The warriors accordingly sallied out of the fort; but, as soon as they had 
jiassed the gates, they turned about and fired upon the garrison. They 
then proceeded to the commons, Avhere they murdered an English Avomau 
Avho resided there, and, horrid to relate, cooked and feasted upon her 
remains. After this they Avent to Isle de Cochon, (Hog Island,) and bar- 
barously destroyed a A\diolc family. 

The savages had now sufficiently evinced their hostile intentions. Col- 
lecting around the fort, they fired upon the garrison from the nearest houses, 
and even from behind the pickets. Measures Avere soon taken, hoAvever, to 
burn such buildings as they could avail themselves of for this purpose, by 
throAving shells. But, as soon as the shells fell, the savages ran up to them, 
Avith loud yells, and extinguished the matches before they had time to 
explode. Still, in spite of all their efforts to prcA^ent it, the buildings Avere 
soon demolished, and the Indians then Avithdrew to a Ioav ridge which over- 
looked the pickets, and from this they kept up a constant fire upon the fort. 

Although Pontiac, as the acknowledged head of the confederacy, Avas the 
leader in the attack upon Detroit, he Avas aided by several chiefs, Avho had 
placed themselves under his direction. Among these Avere the OttaAva chiefs 
Mahigam, or the Wolf, Wabunemai^, or the White Sturgeon, Kittacoimi, and 
AgouchioU; and the Chippewa chiefs Pa,^hquois, Gayashque, Wasson, and 
Macatay-icas^on . 

The influence of Pontiac had for a long time been very great, not only 
with the French, but also Avith the remotest tribes upon the borders of the 
hikes. In 174G he defended Detroit against a combined force under INIack- 
iuac, the Turtle, aided by a portion of his oAvn tribe, the OttaAvas. While 
he Avas thus assisting the French, they Avere no less warm in their attach- 



46 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

ment to their allies, "When the French arrived at these falls" Tthe Saute 
de Ste. Marie), said a Chippewa chief, "they came and kissed ns. They 
called us children, and we found them fathers. We lived like brethren in 
the same lodge. They never mocked our ceremonies; they never molested 
the places of our dead. Seven generations have passed away, but we have 
not forgotten it. Just, very just, were they towards us." 

The siege of Detroit by Pontiac continued. Sometimes blazing arrows 
were launched from the bows of his warriors upon the chapel fjr the pur- 
pose of burning it ; and this they would have effected had they not been 
deterred from forther attempts by a Jesuit, who persuaded them that such 
an act would call down the vengeance of the Great Spirit. A breach was 
now attempted to be made in the pickets, and in this Major Gladwin co-op- 
erated Avith them, by ordering his men to cut them away from the inside, so 
that it was soon accomplished; but no sooner was it filled with the Indians 
than a small brass cannon, wdiich had been brought to bear upon this point, 
was discharged upon them, and made terrible havoc. After this the fort 
was simply blockaded and its supplies cut off, by which means great suffer- 
ing was occasioned to the garrison. Among the killed on the side of the 
English was Sir Robert Devers, whose body was boiled and eaten by the 
savages. Captain Robertson experienced a similar fate, and of/ the skin of 
one of his arms a tobacco-pouch Avas made. 

Major Campbell, it Avill be recollected, had been appointed to the com- 
mand of the fort by Major Rogers, and it was a great point with the savages 
to get possession of the person of this officer, as he was much esteemed, not 
only by the French and English, but by the Indians also, for his chivalrous 
character, and, therefore, the more valuable as a hostage. Pontiac accord- 
ingly solicited an interview with this officer, that, as he stated, "they might 
smoke the pipe of peace together." Two French citizens recommended this 
interview, and were, in fact, made the agents of Pontiac to effect it. The 
Indian chief, in the meantime, solemnly promised that the English com- 
mandant should be permitted to return in safety to the fort. The proposal 
was acceded to; but no sooner had Pontiac got his enemy into his hands, 
than his promise was entirely forgotten, and he told him that his life even 
should not be spared but on the condition that the fort was surrendered. 
The conduct of Pontiac in this transaction had been such as to destroy all 
confidence in his word. The fate of this brave and generous officer was 
truly melancholy. An Ottawa chief had been killed in the siege of Michil- 
imackinac, and his nephew hastened to Detroit to seek for revenge. Here 
meeting with ^lajor Campbell, he instantly killed him with a blow of his 
tomahawk. The murderer fled to Saginaw to escape the vengeance of Pon- 
tiac. 

The Beaver, the armed vessel to which allusion has been made, had been 
sent to Niagara for the purpose of hastening the arrival of a re-enforcement 
of men, and to procure a supply of provisions. Lieutenant Cuyler, with 
ninety-seven men, was sent from that post with supplies, and, apprehend- 
ing no danger, they had landed at Point Pelee and encamped. Here they 
were discovered by the Indians, and at dawn the next morning they were 
attacked, and the whole party either cut off or taken prisoners, with the 
exceptioH of one officer and thirty men, who succeeded in gaining a barge, 
in which they crossed Lake Erie and reached Sandusky Bay. The savages 
placed their prisoners on board the boats, and compelled them to manage 
them, escorting them in triumph to Detroit, along the Canadian bank of the 
river. When they were near this place, four British soldiers determined to 
make their escape, and for this purpose changed the course of the boat they 



CONDITION OF TIIP] COUNTRY UNDER THE ENGLISH. 47 

were in, setting up at the same time a loud cry. After some resistance their 
Indian guards leaped overboard, one of them dragging asohlier ah)ngwlth 
him, and they both were drowned. The remaining three were now fired on 
by the Indians in the other boats, and also by those on the bank of the 
river, though without any other effect than wounding one of their number. 
In the meantime the armed schooner on the Detroit side opened a fire u])on 
the savagCii, which dispersed their boats, and likewise the guard upon the 
opposite shore. The rest of the prisoners were taken by the Indians to Hog 
Island, and there ])ut to death. 

The French residents themselves did not escape Avholly unharmed amid 
these scenes of savage violence. Maintaining a neutral position in the war, 
they were regarded with no little jealousy by their former allies of the 
Algoncpiin race. Their houses were in several instances broken open, and 
their cattle plundered by Pontiac's warriors, though the Ottawa chiefs gave 
to the suflerers certificates of indemnity for all such losses, formed of pieces 
of bark, on which was drawn the figure of an otter, the emblem <jf his 
tribe, and these pledges were all faithfully redeemed at a subsequent 
period. 

The savages, finding that all their attempts to destroy the fort were 
unavailing, endeavored to engage the French in the alliance ; and for this 
])urpose Pontiac assembled a council of his warriors and of the French 
inhabitants at the river Aux Ecorce, on which occasion he addressed to 
them the following speech : 

"My Brothers: — I have no doubt that .this war is very troublesome to 
you, and that my warriors, who are continually passing and repassing 
through your settlements, frequently kill your cattle and injure your i)rop- 
erty. I am sorry for it, and hope you do not think I am ])leased with this 
conduct of my young men ; and, as a proof of my friendship, remember 
tlie war you had seventeen years ago, (174G,) and the part I took in it. 
The Northern nations combined together and came to destroy you. Who 
defended you ? Was it not myself and my young men ? The great chief 
^lackinac (the Turtle) said in council that he would carry to his native 
village the head of your chief warrior, and that he would eat his heart and 
drink his blood. Did I not then join you, and go to his camp and say to 
him, that if he wished to kill the French, he must pass over my bixly and 
the bodies of my young men? Did I not take up the tomahawk with you ? 
aid in fighting your battles with ]\Iackinac, and in driving him home to his 
country? Why do you think I would turn my arms against you? Am I 
not the same French Pontiac who assisted you seventeen years ago ? I am 
a Frenchman, and I wish to die a Frenchman. 

" My brothers," continued Pontiac, throwing a war-belt into the midst of 
the council, " I begin to grow tired of this bad meat which is upon our 
lands, but I see that this is not your case ; for, instead of assisting us in 
our war with the English, you are actually assisting them. I have already 
told you, and I now tell you again, that when I undertook this war, it was 
only your interest I sought, and that I knew what I was about. I yet 
know what I am about. This year they must all perish ; the Master of 
Life so orders it. His will is known to us, and we must do as He says. 
And you, my brothers, who know Him better than we do, wish to oppose 
His will. Until now I have avoided urging you upon this subject, in 
the hope that, if you could not aid, you would not injure us. I did not 
wish to ask you to fight with us against the English, and I did not believe 
that you would take part with them. You will say you are not with them. 
I know it ; but your conduct amounts to the same thing. You tell them all 



48 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

we do, and you carry our counsels and plans to them. Now, take your 
choice. You must be entirely French, like ourselves, or entirely English. 
If you are French, take this belt for yourselves and for your young men, 
and join us. If you are English, we declare war against you." 

Previous to this, and on the third of June, 1763, news had been received of 
the conclusion of peace between France and England ; and one of the 
French inhabitants, holding up a copy of the treaty in answer to this 
harangue, replied : " My brother, you see that our arms are tied by our 
great father, the King of France ; untie this knot, and we Avill join you ; 
but, till that is done, Ave shall sit quietly on our mats." 

The vessel which had been despatched to Niagara noAV returned with a 
supply of provisions and arms. To prevent her reaching the fort, a great 
number of Indians had left the siege and repaired to Fighting island, a short 
distance below. After annoying her from their canoes at the mouth of the 
river, they at length resolved to get possession of her by boarding, and were 
approaching her with all their force for that purpose, when she opened upon 
them a destructive tire, which wounded and killed a large number, and put 
the rest to flight. She then dropped down the river to wait for a fair wind, 
and a few days afterward reached Detroit without farther molestation. 

Pontiac now endeavored to destroy the vessels which Avere anchored oppo- 
site to the fort, as they greatly aided in its defence. He, for this purpose, 
demolished the barns of several of the French settlers, and from the mate- 
rials, which were of a resinous nature and perfectly dry, he constructed rafts, 
and, setting them on fire, committed them to the current of the river, which 
is here quite rapid, in the expectation that they Avould float down against 
them and burn them. The English, however, perceiving his object, anchored 
small boats above the vessels, fastened to each other Avith iron chains, to 
intercept and turn aAvay these dangerous masses, in Avhich they Avere per- 
fectly successful, and the blazing rafts passed harmlessly by. 

It Avas not long, hoAvever, before efficient aid Avas received by the English 
garrison. A fleet of gun-boats made its appearance, strongly armed, and 
having on board a detachment of three hundred regular troops, under the 
command of (^aptain Dalyell, one of the aids of Sir Jeftry Amherst. Sup- 
posing that Pontiac might be surprised in his camp, they landed a force of 
tAVO hundred and forty-seven men, and marched up the river Avith that object. 
But this chief, apprised of their intentions, had removed his Avomen and 
children, and prepared for a vigorous defence. A party of his Avarriors Avere 
concealed behind the pickets of the neighboring farms, others lay hid in the 
long ])rairic grass, Avhich grcAV here to a great height, and others again AA-ere 
concealed behind heaps of Avood. The British force had no sooner reached 
the point noAV called Bloody Bridge, than they received a destructive fire 
from the rifles of the savages. For a moment their columns Avavered, as 
their commander, Captain Dalyell, had fallen at the first discharge ; but, 
soon rallying, they fought Avith great bra\'ery, and charged upon the enemy 
Avith the bayonet. The Indians, hoAvever, Avithout being seen, continued to 
pour forth a destructive fire upon the English, and could only be dislodged 
from their places of concealment by driving them from house to house, and 
from field to field. Perceiving that their numbers Avere diminishing, and 
that they Avere fighting under great disadvantages, the English noAV com- 
menced a retreat to the fort, protected by the armed gun-boats, after a loss 
of nineteen men killed and forty-tAvo wounded. 

While these scenes Averc passing at Detroit, events of a still more tragical 
character Avere taking place on the upper lakes. Michilimackinac, Avhich 
is distant nearly four hundred miles from Detroit, has been already described. 



CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY UNDER THE ENGLISH. 49 

This fort -was surrounded with pickets of cedar, and its stockade was washed 
)>y the waves of the strait. At tliat time the fort was protected by several 
pieces of brass cannon, taken from the trading-posts of Hudson's Bay. There 
was a chapel in which mass was regularly performed by a Jesuit missionary. 
At this post tliere were about thirty families, and it was garrisoned by ninety- 
three men. The savages here were still more inveterate in their hostility to 
tiie English than at Detroit. Alexander Henry, the English trader, "had 
been obliged to wear the garb of a coureur des bois on his way to that post, 
where there were then but four English merchants residing. The hostile 
disposition of the savages was, indeed, clearly manifested on his first arrival. 
He had been there but a very short time when lie was visited l)y a body of 
Chippewas, painted and dressed in tlie most wai'like style, with featiiers 
thrust through their noses. Tlieir chief, Minavavana, thus addressed him: 

''Englishnian, it is to you tliat I speak, and I demand your attention. 

"Englishman, you kn(')W that the French King is our father; he promised 
to be such, and we, in renirn, ]>romised to be his children: this promise we 
have kept. 

"Englishman, it is you that have made war with this our father. You 
are his enemy, and how then could you have the boldness to venture among 
us, his children? You know that his enemies are ours. 

"Englishman, we are informed that our father, the King of France, is old 
and infirm, and that, being fatigued with making war upon your nation, he 
has fallen asleep. During this sleep you have taken advantage of him, and 
p>ssessed yourselves of Canada. But his nap is almost at an end: I think 
I hear him already stirring, and inquiring for his children, the Indians; 
and when he does awake, what must become of you? He will destroy you 
utterly. 

"Englishman, although you have concpiered the French, you have not 
yet conquered us. We are not your slaves. These lakes, these woods and 
mountains, are left to us by our ancestors; they are our inheritance, and we 
will part with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like the white 
people, cannot live without bread, and pork, and beef, but you ought to 
know that He, the Great Spirit and ]\[aster of Life, has provided food for 
us in these spacious lakes, and on these wooded mountains. 

" Englishman, our father, the King of France, employed our young men 
to make war upon your nation. In this war many of them have been killed, 
and it is our custom to retaliate until such time as the spirits of the slain 
are satisfied. But the spirits of the slain are only to be satisfied in one of 
two ways: the first is by spilling the l)lood of thenation by which they fell; 
the other, by covering the bodies of the ilcad, and thus allaying the resent- 
ment of their relations. This is done by making [)resents. 

" Englishman, your King has never sent us any presents, nor entered into 
any treaty with us, wherefire he and Ave are still at war; and, while he does 
these things, we must consider that we have no other father or friend among 
the white people than the King of France. But for you, we have taken into 
Consideration that you have ventured among us in the expectation that we 
should not molest you. You do not come armed with an intention to make 
war. You come in peace to trade with us, and suj^ply us with necessaries 
of which we are much in want. We shall regard you, therefore, as a bro- 
ther, and you may sleep tranquilly, without fear of the Chippewas. As a 
token of (^ur friendship, we present you this ])ipe to smoke." 

But, although no attack was made upon him, it was perceived that the 
Pltirit rjf the savages was anything but friendly. He was afterward visited 
by a chief who was at the head of a party of Ottawa warriors, who also 
D 



50 CIVIL HISTORY OP MICHIGAN. 

made him a speech, and compelled him to deliver a part of his goods to the 
Indians on a credit. 

Thus affairs were here speedily coming to a crisis. The warriors in the 
wilderness around this post had also received from Pontiac the war-belt, 
and were now busy in collecting their bands for the purpose of joining his 
confederacy, the object of which was to blot out the English power from tlie 
territory bordering on the lakes. No serious suspicions were awakened at 
Michilimackinac, although large bodies of Indians had been noticed collect- 
ing around the post, some of them apparently for the purpose of purchasing 
European merchandise, trinkets, and silver ornaments which Henry had lor 
sale, but for the most part without any apparent object. 

On the seventh of June, Wawatam, a Chippewa chief, called on this 
trader, who had recently come from the Saute deSte. Marie, telling him that 
he was sorry that he had left the Saute, and requesting that he would go 
back with him to that post the following day. He also desired to know if 
Major Etherington had not received some bad news ; for, said he, " I have 
been disturbed with the noise of evil birds." The following day he repeated 
his request, and urged his suspicions anew. The trader conceived it to be his 
duty to inform Major Etherington of what had taken place : but, unfor- 
tunately, this officer paid no attention to it, considering it as mere idle ap- 
prehension. 

The number of savages having greatly increased, it w-as proposed the 
next day to celebrate the anniversary of the King's birth by a game which 
is called Baggatlway. This is a common game among the Indians, and is 
played with bats and ball. A ball is placed in the centre of an open piece 
of ground : the players divide themselves into tAvo parties, and a struggle 
then takes place between them to knock the ball to the post of the opposite 
party. It had been agreed among the savages to throw the ball, as if by 
accident, over the pickets ; and, when this had been done, to rush after it, 
possess themselves of the fort, and massacre the garrison. 

The game was accordingly commenced, and JMajor Etherington, who was 
present as a spectator, laid' a Avager on the success of the ChippcAvas, the 
greater part of the garrison being at the same time collected outside the fort 
to Avitness the sport. Suddenly the ball, according to their previous under- 
standing, was thrown over the ])ickets, and, as appeared very natural, the 
Indians all rushed after it. But almost instantly the Avar-cry of the savages 
rose from the interior of the fort, and a dreadful scene commenced. The 
trader, Avho had been prevented from being present at the game, hearing the 
tumult Avithout, and finding the savages, about four hundred in nund)er, in 
possession of the post, crawled over a Ioav fence Avhich separated his house 
from that of M. Langlade, a French Canadian, and entreated him to ailitrd 
him some i)lace of concealment. But Langlade, shrugging uj) his shoulders, 
hastily turned aAvay from the Avindow Avhere he had been looking out, coolly 
saying tliat he knew of no such i)lace. At this moment a PaAvnee slave be- 
longing to Langlade beckoned to Henry to come to a door Avhich she pointed 
out to him, conducted him to the garret of the house, and, having concealed 
him there, locked the door and took aAvay the key. 

Henry gazed through the crevices of the Avail upon the scene bcloAv, and 
it Avas a scene of horror. A great number of the English soldiers lay dead 
around the fort ; some Avere seen struggling between the knees of the sav- 
ages, Avho Avere scalping them Avhile yet alive. Others Avere cut in pieces, 
and their blood Avas drank by the Avarriors from the hollows of their 
hands joined together, Avhile they Avere shrieking most hidcou.sly, like so 
many demons. At length there Avas a profound silence, an awful sus- 



CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY UNDER THE ENGLISH. 51 

pease, which denoted that, fur want of more vietiin.s, tlie work of death was 
(h)ne. 

The Indians now gathered aliout the liouse of Lanjjfhide, and asked him 
if any of the English had taken shelter there. Langlade replied that 
none had to his knowledge, but that they might examine for themselves. 
Two or three of the savages coming to the garret door, demanded the key, 
and, unlocking it, went in. 

J]y this time Henry had concealed himself behind a heap of birch-bark 
vessels which were used in the making of maple-sugar, where the dark 
color of his clothes, aided by the absence of light in the room, prevented 
him from being seen, so that the Indians, satisfying themselves that there 
was no one there, soon went away. There was a nmt in the room, and 
Henry, laying himself down on it, soon fell asleep. It Avas not long, hoAV- 
ever, before he Avas awakened by the wife cf Langlade, who informed him 
that most of the English had been despatched, l)ut that he might hope to 
escape. The shades of night now came on, and the trader sought again in 
slumber to forget the horrors of the scene. 

He was not, hoAvever, so easily to escape. Langlade's Avife, notAvith- 
standiug the encouragement she had held out to him, determined to make 
knoAvn his place of concealment, saying that the Indians Avould murder her 
if the trader was found secreted in her house. Accordingly, she took the 
key and gave it to Wenniway, a chief of the most hideous appearance. 
This Avarrior Avas more than six feet in Iieight, and his naked l)ody Avas 
painted all over Avith a mixture of grease and charcoal, as Avas his face, 
with the exception of a circular ring around each of his eyes. Acconi- 
jjunied by a body of savages, he entered the garret, and approaching the 
trend)ling trader, grasjjcd him by the collar, and fixing his eyes steadfastly 
upon him, raised his knife, as if about to plunge it into his breast ; but, 
suddenly checking himself, he dropped the fatal Aveapon and said, "I Avon't 
kill you. I have lost a brother, Avhose name is Musinigon. You shall be 
called after him." 

But the sufi'erings of the trad<M- were not yet at an end. He Avas stripped 
of his clothes and carried to L'Arbrc a Croche as a prisoner. Here, hoAV- 
evcr, his friend AVaAvatam, faithful to his promise of protection, appeared 
in his behalf, ransomed him, and accompanied the trader to the island of 
jMackinaAV, Avhere he concealed him from a band of drunken savages in 
Avhat is noAv called the Scull liock. 

The f )rt of ^lichilimackinac Avas uoav burned to the ground. SeA'enty of 
the English soldiers had been nuissacred, and, to complete the sanguinary 
deed, the bodies of many of them Avere boiled and eaten by the saA'ages. 
The lives of the remainder, as Avell as of the prisoners taken at St. Joseph 
and Green Bay, Avere spared, and on the return of peace they Avere all re- 
leased, cither* Avith or Avithout ransom. At the close of these tragical 
tvents a nund)er of Indian canoes arrived Avith English traders, Avho were 
beaten, insulted, and marched to the prison lodge. 

After the Avork of devastation had been finished, many of the Indians 
retired to the island of IMaekinaw. while others repaired to Detroit, to aid 
Ponliac in the siege of this post. ThU chief, however, soon found that his 
enemies Avere too formidable for him. General Bradstreet now arrived to 
relicA-e the fort, at the hcail of an army of three thousand men. On 
his Avay he had destroyed the villages of the hostile savages, laid Avaste 
their corn-fields along the rich bottoms of the Maumee, dispersed the 
natives in every direction, and reached Detroit Avithout opposition. The 
Indians, perceiving that they could no longer contend against so power- 



52 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

ful a foe, laid down their arms, and thus tlie war was brought to a close. 
Of Pontiac, after his discomfiture, hut little is certainly knoAvn. Disap- 
pointed and mortified at the failure of his plans, he retired to Illinois, 
where he was assassinated about the year 1767 by an Indian of the Peoria 
tribe. The character of this chief was bold and strongly marked. Excelled 
by none of his race in courage, strength, and energy, he possessed traits 
which pointed him out for a leader. To haye had sufficient influence to 
bring the numerous tribes of the West, along a frontier of a thousand 
miles, to co-operate with him in his desperate undertaking, must haye 
required much more than ordinary talents. Although destitute of those 
])rinciples of honor which preyail among ciyilized nations in the operations 
of war, he possessed a larger share of humanity than is commonly f )und 
among sayages. Undismayed by difiiculties, and far-seeing and compre- 
heusiye in his plans, he fought from a sense of justice and in defence of the 
rich domain which had been bequeathed to him by his ancestors. 

THE FUR-TRADE AXD AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. 

From the year 1679, when La 8alle and Hennepin crossed Lake Erie 
with the first yessel that had eyer disturbed the Avaters of that lake, the face 
of the country had been, down to the time of the English occupation, but 
little changed. During the period of the French power in this quarter, the 
fur-trade had been yigorously carried on along the great chain of lakes, and 
through eyery channel in which it could be made to circulate, either by 
companies chartered for that object, or by indiyidual enterprise. The cou- 
reurs cles bois,wh.o acted, says La Honton, "like East Indiamen and pirates," 
returning periodically from their inland yoyages to swell the population at 
the different posts, brought AA'ith them in bark canoes the furs and peltry 
which they had collected, and deposited them at the factories erected to 
receiye them; from thence they were at regular seasons transported to the 
headquarters of the trade at Montreal and Quebec, Avhere they were shipped 
for Europe. 

The principal channels through Avhich this traffic was carried on between 
the u])per and lower proyinces continued to be the Ottawa riyer or Lake 
Erie, the packs, when the latter course was adopted, being transported across 
the portage of Niagara Falls upon the backs of the traders. 

The condition of this trade under the French, although depending much 
on the peculiar character of the people, was essentially modified by the pos- 
itive o|)eration of the laws. The government of the colony was, it is true, 
cxcrcisod with apparent mildness, but still it was impressed with those harsh 
priucij)les which characterized the most aristocratic period of the Bourbons. 
Even the form of land distribution, founded on the Coufwne de Paris, Avas 
extended to the French colonies of the AVest. Its operation Avas exceedingly 
oppressive, and greatly retarded the groAvth of the settlement. It confined 
the energies of the people to narroAV tracts of land, granted under burden- 
some conditions, placing them in the poAvcr of seigneurs, Avhich Avas but 
another name for masters, instead of opening the broad and fertile bosom 
of the West to free and unencund)cred industry, such as is noAV cflTeeting 
such extraordinary changes in that region under the equal hvAvs of our oAvn 
Republic. The peojjle under this system Avere but the inerc appendages of 
large corporations, parts of a A'ast machine whidi Avas jilanned and krpt in 
motion solely for the l)enefit of royal monopolies. 

It has been remarked that the asi)ect of things in these remote regi<Mis 
Avas but little changed after they came into the possession of the English 



THE FUR-TRADE AND AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. 53 

The chapels and the forts continued in much the same state; the little farms 
of the French, surrounded by pickets, stretched along the banks of the 
streams as before; and the country presented a variegated aspect of French, 
English, and Indian manners. The red coats of the British regulars con- 
trasted very strikingly with the peasant garb of the French farmers, and 
with the wild and fantastic dress of the natives. 

The insurrection being quelled, a system of C(.)nciliatory measures was 
adojtted to secure the good-will of the disali'ected trilxs; snudl grants of 
land Avere made around the posts, and the Indians themselves were induced 
to cede portions of their territory for a trifling consideration to the French 
colonists. These grants were made, however, without any authority from 
the British Government. The French settlements extended along the banks 
of the Detroit and St. Clair rivers to the distance of about twenty miles 
above and below the town, with here and there a lonely hut of some French 
trader at a favorable jxiint in the interior. Detroit c<intinued to be the most 
})rominent post, and three years after the l\)ntiac war the town contained 
not less than a hundred houses, independent of the barracks. On the west 
side of the town lay the commons, which received the name of the King'.i 
Garden. The fort was surrounded by pickets and mounted with small can- 
non, Avas garrisoned by two hundred men, and the ct.nnnandant exercised a 
sort of arbitrary poAver under the general supervision of the governor-gen- 
eral of Canada. 

Meanwhile the Hudson's Bay Comj)any, Avhich had been long a lival of 
the old French companies, extended its. operations through the AVilderness 
which had been the ranging ground of the French traders. This company 
had been chartered in 1069 by Charles 11. That charter, granted to a com- 
})any of English merchants, authorized them to occupy a very extensive 
region north of Canada for the prosecution of the fur-trade, to establish mil- 
itary p »>ts f)r the defence of their persons and property, and to traffic Avith 
the native tribes. 

From 17()3 to the close of the three folloAving years, the trade from Mon- 
treal Avith the interior h*d been greatly diminished, the Indians carrying 
on most of their traffic Avith the agents of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 
17GG individual adventurers began to extend their operations along the lake 
shores in the same track that had f )rmerly been ])ursued l>y the French, 
and soon came in collision with the large companies which were striving to 
occupy for their exclusive benefit this extensive region. Thus the course of 
the trade continued to present the same Avild features which had character- 
ized it under the former regime. 

The English made but little change either in the laws or in their admin- 
istration, and pursued the same general policy as had their predecessors the 
French. The commandants of the posts, although responsible to the gt)ver- 
uor-geueral at Quebec, Avere still ])osse,<sed of a discretionary jiower which 
was all but absi)lute, and Avhich they exercised in a highly arbitrary man- 
ner, as i)erhaps Avas necessary among such a population as they had to deal 
with. Whenever any crime Avas committed, however, which required a 
formal trial, it was custonuiry f )r these officers to summon a jury of the 
most re?i)ectable inhabitants, and to abide by their decision. 

A semblance of the criminal laws of England Avas, it is true, introduced, 
l)ut the-e laws were administered witliout any regard to fixed {jrincijiles or 
t.> established rules. A single example will suffice to show the manner in 
which legal ])roceediugs were conducted in 1770. 

GoA'crnor Hamilton, at that time the commanding officer at Detroit, be- 
ing informed of a theft committed by a Canadian Frenchman, directed 



54 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Philip Dejean and twelve jurors to hear and adjudge the ease : they accord- 
ingly proceeded to the trial, and convicted the individual of the crime 
alleged against him. The record of this trial has come down to us, and it 
is a most singular document. Lord Dorchester, however, then governor of 
Canada, was no sooner made acquainted with the proceedings in this case, 
so contrary to every principle of law, than he issued a warrant for the arrest 
of Hamilton and Dejean, though, unfortunately, they had both previously 
left the country. 

In 1774 an act was passed, called the Quebec Act, establishing the 
boundaries of Canada, including Michigan, and extending thence to the 
Mississippi and Ohio rivers on the south, and north from the St. Lawrence 
to the latitude of 52°, or to the lands of the Hudson's Bay Company. This 
act granted to the Catholic inhabitants the free exercise of their religion, 
the undisturbed possession of their Church ])roperty, and the right in all 
matters of litigation to demand a trial according to the former laws of the 
province. But this right was not extended to the settlers on lands granted 
by the English crown. The criminal laws of England were introduced into 
Canada, and the crown reserved to itself the right of establishing courts of 
civil, criminal, and ecclesiastical jurisdiction. 

The enterprise of the people was not wholly confined to the fur-trade. 
The mineral region upon the shores of Lake Superior had been visited as 
early as 1773 ; a project was formed for working the copper ore discovered 
there, and a company in England had obtained a charter for that object. 
This company consisted of the Duke of Gloucester, Mr. Secretary Town- 
shend, Sir Samuel Tutchet, Bart., Mr. Baxter, consul of the Empress of 
Russia, Mr. Cruikshank, Sir William Johnston, Bart., INIr. Bostwick, and 
Alexander Henry, the English fur-trader who figured so consi)icuously in 
the fall of Michilimackinac. A sloop Avas accordingly purchased, and the 
miners commenced their ojierations. They soon found, however, that the 
expenses of blasting and of transportation were too great to warrant the 
prosecution of the enterprise, and it was abandoned. Previous to this, a 
company of English adventurers had embarked in the same project, but 
they also gave it up on account, as they said, " of the distracted state of 
affairs in America." 

In 1783 several influential merchants, who had been individually engaged 
in the fur-trade, entered into partnership f )r its more vigorous prosecution, 
though without any charter, and established what was styled the jN'orthwest 
Company. The stock of this company was divided into sixteen shares. No 
money was paid in, but each of the partners engaged to furnish his propor- 
tion of the goods necessary to carry on the trade. 

In 1787 the shareholders appointed from their number special agents to 
import from England such goods as inight be required, and to store them at 
Montreal. The i)lan they adopted for conducting the trade was similar to 
that which had been pursued l)y the French. The European goods were, 
])y the orders of the agents, made into such articles as were wanted by the 
traders and Indians, and packed up and forwarded, and the money for the 
outfits was also supplied by them. 

Storehouses were erected in convenient and accessible situations on the 
])orders of the lakes, and the posts formerly occupied by the French were 
employed for the same ])urpose. Connected with these there were also 
trading-houses and })laees where the various ])ersons employed in carrying 
on the trade might be accommodated. Agents were sent to Detroit, IMack- 
inaw, tlic Saute dc Ste. ]\[arie, and the Grand Portage near Lake Su])erior, 
where the furs wore deposited wluni brought from the interior, and whose 



THE FUR-TRADE AND AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. 55 

business it was to have them packed aud sent to Montreal for shipment to 
Entrland. 

The most important point of the fur-trade was the Grand Portage of 
Lake Superior, situated in a remote region to the northwest, wliere the 
greatest quantity of furs eonkl be collected. Here the proprietors of the 
establishment, the guides, clerks, and interpreters, messed together in a 
large hall hung round with olk-horns, ornamented pipes, hatchets, and 
other implements used by the Indians in war and peace, while the canoe- 
men, or coiireurs des bois, were allowed nothing but a dish which they called 
" hommony," consisting of Indian corn boiled in a strong alkali and sea- 
soned with fat. 

The persons employed in this traffic were a motley and very peculiar race. 
Besides the clerks, interpreters, and guides, there Avas a numerous body, 
half Indian and half French, which had been constantly increasing in this 
quarter from the frequent intermarriages between the traders and the 
native women. The canoes employed by them were of large size, each one 
being capable of containing ten men and about sixty -five packages of furs. 

The European goods purchased for this traffic consisted of Idankets, 
cutlery, glass beads, and other trinkets, besides different articles that were 
obtained at Montreal. 

These goods were ordered from England the season before they were 
wanted, shipped from London the following spring, and arrived in Canada 
early in the summer. Here they were made up into packages of a conve- 
nient size, weighing each about ninety pounds, sent to the interior the next 
spring, exchanged for furs during the succeeding winter, and the following 
autumn these furs were received at JMontreal and sliippcd for London. 

Thus this interesting trade, which had })ecn carried on for more than a 
century, still continued to circulate in its ordinary channels along the 
waters of the lakes. But the spirit of mercantile rivalry was carried to a 
great extent, and, unhappily, excited all the worst passions in the human 
breast. The Hudson's Bay and Northwest Companies, the respective bound- 
aries of which were not very clearly defined, came into active and desper- 
ate collision, and made repeated attacks upon the trading-posts of each 
other. Lord Selkirk, however, having placed him.^elf at the head of the 
Hudson's Bay Company, succeeded at length in uniting the stock of the 
two companies, and thus put an end to the strife. These two companies 
held dominion over the territory bordering on the lakes, and studied only 
to keep it a barren, howling waste, that they might the better fill their own 
coffers. 

Tiie American Revolution was now about to lireak forth. The people of 
the English colonies at the East had declared that tliey would not submit 
to be taxed l)y the mother-country unless they were represented in the 
British Parliament. A duty having been imposed upon tea, a vessel lying 
in Boston harbor with a quantity of it oii board had been taken possession 
of by a party of the inhabitants, and the obnoxious article was thrown into 
the sea. From this may be dated the commencement of a struggle which, 
in the desperation with which it was fought and the magnitude of its 
results, is scarcely jiaralleled in history. 

During this eventful struggle, the wilderness then comprising the terri- 
tory of the present State of ^lichigan, with but a small population, con- 
sisting principally of British soldiers and persons connected with the fur- 
trade, from its remote situation was but little afl'ected by the war, tliough 
the Indians within its borders were employed to Inirass the American set- 
tleuieuts upon the frontiers of New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. 



56 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Detroit and Michilimackinac were, during this period, the points of 
greatest interest. At these posts the Indian warriors were assembled and 
furnished with arms and ammunition, and from tlieuce they were despatched 
against the nearest American settlements, to pillage, burn, and destroy, and 
to massacre and scalp the defenceless inhabitants. On their return from 
their murderous expeditions, these savage allies were met by the British 
commanders in the council-houses of Mackinaw and Detroit, and there 
received the stipulated price for the scalps which they brought. 

It is not to be wondered at that the European inhabitants of Michigan and 
Canada should have been opposed to the doctrines of the American Eevo- 
lution. The French population had been accustomed to a despotic govern- 
ment, and from habit were little inclined to any other ; Avhile the English 
colonists were mere adventurers, and had come to the country for no other 
reason than to benefit their fortunes by its trade. They were, theref jre, 
actuated by a totally different spirit from that Avhich animated the iuhal)i- 
tants of the original English colonies, who were fixed in their habits, and 
who had fled from the })ersecutions of the people of England, that they 
might enjoy, undisturbed, the right of self-government in matters of re- 
ligion. 

Not only were parties of Indians sent out against the American settle- 
ments, but in some instances they were supported by the regular troops and 
the local militia. One of these joint expeditions, commanded by Captain 
Byrd, set out from Detroit to attack Louisville. It proceeded in boats as 
far as it could ascend the Maumee river, and from thence crossed over to 
the Ohio ; but the high water here preventing them from reaching the place 
for which they started, they marched to what is called Ruddle's Station. 
The formidable force which they presented intimidated the garrison at this 
post, and it immediately surrendered, under the promise of being protected 
from the Indians. This promise, however, was violated, and the prisoners 
were all massacred. A small stockade, called Martin's Station, was like- 
wise taken by the same commander, and his advance threw the whole 
region into the utmost consternation, when he suddenly withdrew. 

Another expedition started from Detroit under the command of Henry 
Hamilton, the conunandant of the post. At that time the feeble settlements 
in what now comprises Kentucky were much exi)osed to the hostile inroads 
of the savages, and General Clarke, an officer of great bravery and expe- 
rience, had been sent by the Governor of Virginia for their defence. Sup- 
l)osiag that he could better accomplish his object by reducing Ka.skaskiu, 
Kahokia, and other small French settlements in this region, which were 
believed to be friendly to the British cause, he descended the river and took 
possessi(jn of thein. 

Governor Hamilton was no sooner informed of these proceedings than he 
collected a force of regulars, militia, and Indians and proceeded to St. Vin- 
cent, Avhere he halted to make arrangements for active operations as so()n 
as the season would permit. His design was to recover the posts which had 
been captured by General Clarke, to attack and defeat the force under his 
conmiaud, and destroy the infant settlements of tlie Americans in this 
region. 

General Clarke was soon advised of the movements of Hamilton. A 
Spanisli merchant informed him that this officer was extremely careless in 
his operations, and that he had sent a part of his force to the Ohio river to 
destroy the settlements ah)ng its banks. The American general accord- 
ingly des])atched an armed l)oat to the Wabash, with orders to her com- 
mander not to permit anything to pass that river, while he himself set out 



THE FUR-TrvADE AND AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. 57 

with one liuudred and thirty men foi' the same point, although in the deptli 
of winter. >Sixtcen chxys were occupied in crossing the country, the soldiers 
sometimes marching up to their breasts in water along the shores of the 
Wabash, that stream having overflowed its banks. As soon as they arrived 
at St. Vincent, tlic soldiers were drawn up in order of battle, and, with the 
trunk of a tree formed in the shape of a cainion, they ))oldly advanced to 
attack the British post. Governor Hamilton, supposing that he was about 
to be assailed by artillery, immediately surrendered. The British Avere suf- 
fered to return to Detroit; but their comnumder, who was known to have 
been active in instigating the Indians to conunit the greatest barbarities, 
was placed in irons and sent to Virginia as a prisoner of war. 

Still some of the savages were not well afl'ected to the British cause. As 
early as 177(j the Dclawares had received a message from the llurons 
of Detroit, requesting them to " keep their shoes in readine.i8 to unite with 
tlieir warriors." Isetawatwees, however, the chief of the Delawares, who 
wisked to remain neutral, would not listen to this proposal, but sent to the 
Huron chief in return several belts of Avampum, admonishing him at the 
same time to keep (piiet, and to remember the misery which the llurons had 
formerly brought upon themselves by engaging in wars (m the side of the 
French. The re])ly of the Di'lawares was delivered in the presence of De 
Peyster, the English commandant, who cut the belts of wampum in })ieces, 
threw them on the ground, and conunanded the messengers who brought 
them instantly to quit the country. 

Certain jNIoravian missicmaries, who were engaged in their peaceful and 
pious labors on the banks of the JMuskingum, did not escape the suspicions 
of the English in this quarter. These disinterested and charitable men were 
accused of holding a secret correspondence Avith the Congress at riiiladel- 
pliia, and of contributing their intluence, as well as that of their Indian con- 
gregation, to aid the American cause. 

The Indian agent was therefore sent to Niagara, and a grand council of 
the Iroquois was assembled, at which those tribes were urged to break up 
the Indian congregation collected by the JSIoravians. Not wishing, how- 
ever, to have anything to do with it, they sent a message to the Chijipewas 
and Ottawas, with a l)elt, stating that they gave the Indian congregation 
into their hands "to make soup of." 

In 1781 the i\Ioravian missionaries arrived at Detroit, Avhere they Avere 
immediately brought before De Peyster, the English commandant. A Avar 
council Avas held at the same time, Avhen the council-house Avas comjjletely 
filled, the different tribes being arranged on either side. The assembly was 
addressed in a long speech by Captain Pipe, the principal chief of the Wolf 
tribe, who had connuittetl the most savage barbarities upon the scattered 
Ameriean settlements. He told the commandant " that the English might 
light the Americans if they chose : it was their cause, and not his ; that they 
had raised a quarrel among themselves, and that it Avas their business to 
fight it out. They had set him on the Americans," he said, " as the hunter 
sets his dog upon the game." By the side of the British commander stood 
a Aviir-chict^ Avith a stick in his hand four feet in length .strung with Ameri- 
can scali)s. " Now, father," said he, ])re.^enting the stick and aildressing 
himself to the commandant, " here is what has been done Avith the hatchet 
you gave me. I have made the use of it that you ordered me to do, and 
"found it sharp." 

It was by such influences that these saA'age tribes were instigated to com- 
mit the most atrocious cruelties against the defenceless American settle- 
ments on the frontiers during the whole course of the RcA-olutiouary war. 

D * 



5S CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Every avenue was closed whereby a different influence might be introduced 
among them, and they were made to believe that the Americans were only 
seeking to possess themselves of their lands, and to drive them aAvay from 
the territory they had inherited from their forefathers. 

But, after the country from Maine to Florida had been drenched with 
blood in this great contest for freedom, the American cause was at last tri- 
umphant ; and by the treaty of peace concluded at Versailles in 1783, an 
end was at last temporarily put to these barbarities ; the distant settlers 
were permitted once more to resume their labors and to sleep without alarm. 

ORGANIZATION OF THE NORTHWESTERN TERRITORY. 

But, although the war was at an end, the posts and trading stations along 
the lakes, within the acknowledged limits of the United States, were not 
given up. Of the real causes which induced the British Government, in 
violation of all the principles of good faith, to retain these posts, we have 
no means of judging. It may, however, be fairly inferred from the conduct 
of individuals, that if that Government did not actually and by direct means 
promote the Indian war which broke out at this time, it did not, to say the 
least, discountenance it. 

Tliere is ample evidence to show that British emissaries were sent to the 
remote Indian tribes on the borders of the lakes to instigate them to take up 
arms, and that, after they had done so, they looked for aid from the English 
garrisons within the American territory. In the treaty of peace of 1783, 
there was no express stipulation in regard to the surrender of the northwest- 
ern posts; but by the second article of Jay's treaty, in 1794, it was agreed 
that the British troops should be withdrawn from all the posts assigned to 
the United States by the former treatv (of 1783) on or before the first dav 
of June, 1796. 

The conduct of England in so long persisting in retaining possession of a 
country which did not belong to her, we shall not pretend to account for ; 
l)iit the value of this country, from the richness of its soil and its other 
advantages, soon began to attract attention. 

Measures were accordingly taken for its temporary government. The 
circumstance which had more jiarticularly directed the public attention to 
this western domain was a memorial from the soldiers and officers of the 
Kevolutionary army, presented to General Washington in 1783, setting forth 
their claims to a portion of the public lands. Nothing, however, was granted 
to them at that time. 

The country had been completely exhausted by the terrible struggle in 
whicli it had been so long engaged, and, heavily burdened with debt, it Avas 
now seeking for some means by which it could secui'e its liqui(lati(m; and, 
as the war had been prosecuted for the general good, it was held that the 
States claiming lands in this quarter were bound to grant portions of them 
for this oljject. The territory northwest of the Ohio was claimed by several 
of the Eastern States, on the ground that it Avas included within the limits 
indicated by their charters from the English Crown. In answer to the 
wishes of the Government and })eople, these States, in a patriotic spirit, sur- 
rendered th(;ir claims to this extensive territory, that it might constitute a 
comnifm i'und to aid in the i)ayment of the national debt. 

To prei)are the way for tliis cession, a law had been passed in October, 
1780, that the territory so to be ceded should be disposed of for the common 
l)eneiit of tlie whole Union; that the States erected therein should he <>f 
suitable extent, not less than (uio hundred n )r ni )re than one hundred and 



ORGANIZATION OF THE NORTHWESTERN TERRITORY. 59 

fifty miles square; and that any expenses that might be incurred in recov- 
ering tlie posts then in the hands of the British should be reimbursed. 

New York released her claims to Congress on the 1st of March, 1781; 
Virginia on the 1st of the same month, 1784; Massachusetts ou the 19th of 
April, 1785; and Connecticut on the 4th of September, 1786. 

Meanwhile, the Iroquois, in 1784, conveyed to the United States all their 
right to any lands west of Pennsylvania ; and <m the 1st of January, 1785, 
by the treaty of Fort Mcintosh, the Ottawas, Chippewas, Delawares, and 
AVyandots surrendered all the lands claimed by them south of the Ohio, a 
belt of territory six miles broad, commencing at the Ilivcr liaisin and extend- 
ing along the strait to Lake St. Clair, a tract of twelve mik's scpuire at the 
Rapids of the Maumee, together with the Islands of Bois Bhin^; and Mack- 
inaw, and also a tract six miles by three on the mainland, to the north of 
the last-mentioned island. These different cessions having been obtained 
from the native tribes, in 1787 a government was organized for this exten- 
sive regwn, which received the name of the Northwest Territory. 

It is unnecessary here to examine particularly the details of this ordin- 
ance : it was based ou the principles of civil liberty maintained in the Magna 
Charta of England, re-enacted in the Bill of Rights, and incorporated into 
our different State constituti(ms. This ordinance, it is well known, was 
drawn up by. Nathan Dane, of Beverly, Massachusetts, a benevcjleut and 
excellent man, and a distinguished lawyer, who was the com])iler of a very 
valuable abridgment of American Law, and the founder of the Dane Law 
Schdol in the University of C^ambridge. . 

On the 7th oi" April, 1788, a company of forty-seven individuals landed 
at tlie spot where Marietta now stands, and there commenced the settlement 
of Ohio. The ffrst code of laws for this territory was published by nailing 
them to the body of a tree upon the hanks of the Muskingum, and Return 
Jonathan ^Meigs was appointed to administer them, the Governor, Arthur 
St. Clair, not having yet arrived. 

We have seen that the Western posts were still retained by the British 
Government, notwithstanding tlie peace concluded in 3783. Several ques- 
tions of no little interest liacl sprung up, which excited unfriendly feelings 
between the two nations and governed their ])olicy. Debts due by Ameri- 
cans to British subjects, the payment of which had l)een guaranteed by the 
treaty, were not paid ; and, on the other hand, the slaves behmging to 
American citizens, and who had been taken away by the British officers, 
were not restored. In consecpience of this unsettled state of things, when 
the Baron Steuben was sent by General Washington to Sir Frederic Ilaldi- 
maud at Quebec to arrange matters for the occupation of these posts, with 
instructions to ])roceed to ^lichigan and along the line of the lake frontier 
for the purpose of taking possession of them, he was informed that they 
would not be given up, and was i-efused passports to Niagara and Detroit. 

Combined with the retention of the posts, a new confederacy among the 
savages was evidently organizing in the \Vest. As eaily as December, 
178G, a grand council of the different tribes was held near the mouth of 
the Detroit river. At this council were delegates from tlie Six Nations, 
from the Iliirons, the Ottawas, the Mianus, the Shawanese, the Chippewas, 
the Cherokees, the Delawares, the Pottowatamies, and IVoin the confederates 
of the Wabash. The principal subject of discussi(jn at this council ap])ears 
to have been a (piestion of boundary. It was contended by tiie Indians that 
the United States had no right to cross the Ohio river, but they advised a 
pacific line of policy so h)ng as there was no actual enci'oachment ui)on their 
territiU'v. 'fhe design of this discussion undoubtedly was to create a belief 



60 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

that the Americans intended to drive them from their lands, and, as was 
said, to " kindle their council fires wherever they thought proper, without 
consulting the Indians." The American Government, indeed, considered 
that the treaty of 1783 vested in them jurisdiction over the Indian territory, 
a claim which the native occupants were by no means disposed to admit. 
At this time, also, the United States were at issue with a foreign Power 
respecting the right of navigating the ]\Iississippi. 

Among other things, as a plea for still retaining the Western posts, it was 
pretended by the English that the extensive and valuable country in which 
they were situated had been ceded away through some oversight on the part 
of the commissioners, or from their ignorance of the geography of the coun- 
try. But the real motives by which they were actuated are sufticiently 
manifest. They had already succeeded in exciting hostile feelings among 
the Indian tribes, and this they were determined to take advantage of for 
the purpose of preventing this broad and fertile region from passing out of 
their hands. 

JNIany of the half-breeds were also active in seconding the views of the 
English, not only by inflaming the minds of the Indians, but by promising 
to take up arms in their cause, from a belief that if they did not thus side 
with them they would not afterward be suffered to trade in their territory. 
jNIeanwhile Alexander McKenzie, an agent of the British Government, 
visited Detroit, painted like a savage, and stated that he had just returned 
from the remote tribes of the upper lakes, who were all in arms, and pre- 
pared to oppose the claims of the Americans to the Western lauds ; that 
large bodies of warriors had already assembled, and that they were about 
to attack the infant settlements of Virginia and Ohio. The artifice prac- 
tised by McKenzie succeeded to his wish ; and he could the better operate 
upon the prejudices and passions of the Indians as he spoke their language 
perfectly well. Elliot and the notorious Simon Girty were no less active in 
exciting the savages to war. 

In 1794 an agent was sent from the Spanish settlements on the banks of 
the Mississippi for the same object, and to hasten the organization of the 
Indian confederacy against the United States. "Children," said he to his 
savage auditors, " you see me on my feet grasping the tomahawk to strike 
them, (the Americans. ) AVe will strike together. I do not desire you to 
go before me in the fi'ont, but to follow me. Children, you hear what these 
distant nations have said to us, so that we have nothing to do but to put our 
designs into innnediate execution, and to forward tiiis j)ipe to the three war- 
like nations who have been so long struggling for their country. Tell them 
to smoke this pipe, and to forward it to all the lake Indians and to their 
Northern brethren. Then nothing will be wanting to com})lete our general 
union from the I'ising to the setting of the sun, and all the nations will be 
ready to add strength to the blow we are going to strike." Excited by these 
various means, bands of savage warriors, armed with the tomahawk and 
scalping-knife, were seen hastening towards the lake posts, and another great 
Indian confederacy was formed, consisting of the Ottawas, the Pottowata- 
mies, the Wyandots, the Miamis, the C'hippewas, and the Delawares. 

As early as 17<S5 and 17'S(> the hostile Indians had occasionally sent their 
war-parties against the feeble frontier settlements in Kentucky and along 
the i)anks of the Ohio, where a few enterprising emigrants from Virginia 
and New England had erected their little clusters of log-cabins. 

These border incursions, which most clearly appear to have been counte- 
nanc{'<l by the British, induced the American Government in 1790 to send 
into that quarter General Josiah Ilarmar, an accomplished and able ofiicer, 



ORGANIZATION OF THE NORTHWESTERN TERRITORY. Gl 

to put a stop to them. He advanced against the hostile tribes with a force 
amounting to fourteen hundred men ; hut, im})rudeutly dividing his army, 
he v*a!< taken by surprise and (h'feated by a Ixxly of Indians led on by that 
sanguinary and desperate warrior, the Little Turtle. 

General Harmar, having failed in his enterprise, was succeeded by IMajor 
General »St. Clair, tlie Governor of the Northwestern Territory ; and in Octo- 
])er, 1792, this officer advanced into the Indian country with a force of about 
tw(j thousand men. Warned as he was by the disaster tiiat had proved so 
fatal to his predecessor, he fell into an ambuscade that had been laid for 
him, where the Indians, firing from behind their breastwork of fallen trees, 
carried destKietion into the American ranks, and soon covered the ground 
with their dead. So sudden and unexpected was the attack, and so mur- 
derous the fire of the enemy, that the general was compelled to order a 
retreat, leaving his artillery in the hands of the savages. 

On account of these repeated disasters, it became necessary to increase 
the army by enlistments, and to push a still stronger force against the hos- 
tile Indian ti'il)es. (Jeneral Washington therefore made the most strenuous 
efforts to efi'ect this object; but, owing to the panic produced by the disas- 
trous defeats of ilarnuir and St. Clair, with but little success. Thei-e was, 
moreover, no suuill opposition to the war ; and additional measures were 
deemed necessary to bring it to a close. 

In 1793 General St. Clair was succeeded by General Anthony Wayne in 
the command of the AVestern army. Advancing through the f )rests to 
tlie spot which had been rendered memorable by the defeat of St. Clair, he 
there constructed a fort upon the site of the old fortification, and calle\l it 
Fort Recovery. Situated in the midst of the scene of former carnage, there 
might then have been seen around it, under the trees and amid the fallen 
logs, the bleached bones of those who had l)een slain. 

General Wayne soon reached the confluence of the An Glaze and >Mau- 
mee rivers, and found the villages si)read along the bottoms of the latter 
completely deserted. A short time afterward he arrivetl at the Iia])ids of 
the Maumee, and erected there a fort aljout four miles above the British 
post, which he called Fort Dei)osite, in which he placed his stores and bag- 
gage. This British post, established on American ground, had been fortified 
l)y a detachment sent from Detroit the preceding spring, and the Indians 
ajipeared to laok upon it as their last refuge in case they were attacked. 

The British Government had demanded, liefore the treaty of 17<S.'), as one 
of the conditions of peace, the complete independence of the savage tribes, 
with, of course, the jjower to grant their lancls to whomsoever they ])leased. 
The Americans having refused to accede to this condition, that post was 
established on the banks of the Miami for the purpose, it was believed, of 
countenajicing the Indians, and of actively supporting them should they 
gain the ascendancy. General Wayne therefore felt it necessary to advance 
with the utmost caution, as everything depended not only upcm his courage, 
but his jinideuee. lie had been directed, however, in case he was opposed 
by the British, to treat them according to the usages of war. 

The American commander was not long in coming up with his savage foe. 
The Indians regarding him with great fear from his suj)posed cunning, call- 
ing him t\\Q Black-.viake on that account; while the American army, con- 
sisting of three thousand men, no doubt presented a truly formidable appear- 
ance to them. 

The Indian force, their whole strength being collected at this point, was 
in ])oint of numbers al)out the same. Most of the savages were naked and 
painted for battle. Stationed in a dense forest, and protected l^y the rocky 



02 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

bank of the river and a breastwork of fallen trees, they were disposed in 
three lines within supporting distance of each other. 

Wayne's Legion consisted of two thousand regulars and one thousand 
mounted militia, under General Scott, of Kentucky, The right flank of his 
army rested on the river, a brigade of mounted volunteers under General 
Todd occupied the left, and General Babee, with his division, formed the 
rear. Major Price was ordered to advance with a select battalion of rifle- 
men to reconnoitre, and, if attacked, to retreat in pretended confusion, in 
order to entice the enemy towards the main body. The stratagem proved 
successful ; and while the savages were rushing forward and startling the 
wilderness with their yells of triumph, the American army advanced against 
them Avith trailed arms, being ordered to press them with the bayonet, to 
rouse them from their lurking-places, and deliver a close fire upon their 
backs, so as to allow them no opportunity to escape. The Indians now 
began to break, and retreated towards the walls of Fort Maumee. While 
these events were taking place, the gates of the fort had been shut, and the 
English within gazed with apparent indiflerence upon the scene. In the 
action there Avas actually engaged on the side of the savages a force from 
Detroit, headed by a prominent individual of that place. General Wayne 
destroyed the Indian villages and the cornfields on the banks of the IMau- 
mee, and proceeded towards Fort Defiance. 

Before he left the battle-ground, however, he paraded his force in front 
of the British post, that they might see its strength, while he advanced with 
his staff" towards the glacis to examine the character of the position, and to 
ascertain, as far as was possible, what were the intentions of the garrison. 
The American oflScers, as they drew near, could discover the British soldiers, 
with matches lighted and standing by their guns, ready for any emergency 
that might arise. Some attempts were made by his oflficers to persuade the 
British commander to revenge this insulting parade before his post by 
allowing them to salute the Americans with a dischar'^e from their artil- 
lery. Nothing of this kind, however, was permitted, though a corresj)(>n- 
dence of no very friendly character took place. General Wayne finally 
succeeded in concluding a treaty with the Indians at Greenville, which 
effectually broke up the confederacy. 

The settlements in Michigan up to this period had advanced but slowly. 
The French Canadians had extended their farms to a considerable distance 
along the banks of the St. Clair ; and on the Detroit river there were a few 
straggling French .settlements, as also on Otter Creek, and on the rivers 
Ilougc, Fointe aux Tremble, and other small streams flowing into Lake 
Erie. Agriculture and the fur-trade constituted nearly the entire occupa- 
tion of the inhabitants. 

Detroit and Frenchtown, both in the eastern part of the peninsula, were 
at this time the only places of nuich importance. The former was merely 
a small cluster of rude wooden houses, defended by a fort, and surrounded 
by pickets, and formed, as it had hmg done, the principal depot for the fur- 
trade. The population, independent of the soldiers of the garrison, ci in- 
sisted j)rincipally of Scotch, French, and English merchants, who had 
removed here after the conquest of the country, for the prosecution of that 
traffic. The goods required here were obtained from Montreal, and bills of 
credit for small sums, i)ayable at that place or at Quebec, were allowed to 
be isstu'd l)y the merchants, on condition of their giving security to double 
llicir amount. Frenchtown, on the river Raisin, now a place of consid- 
erable importance, consisted at that time of only a few log cabins, erected 
by the French on either bank of the river. Two Indian villages, one occu- 



ORGANIZATIOX CF THE NcRTHWESTERN TERRITORY. 63 

pied by the Ottawas, the other by the Pottowatamies, stood on tlie present 
site of the t ity of Monroe. Beinjf a depot for the Northwestern Company, 
the surrounding Indians periodically resorted there to exchange their furs 
and peltry for cloths, beads, silver ornaments, fire-arms, ammunition, and 
sui h other articles as they required. The French settlers in the vicinity 
also disposed of their corn here in exchange for g(jods, and from thence it 
was transported to the upper lakes for the use of the traders. 

About this time a project was started, which, had it been successful, 
w> uld have been highly injurious to the interests of this part of the AVcst. 
In 175'5, Kobert Kandull, of Pennsylvania, and Charles Whitney, of Ver- 
mont, in connection with several merchants of Detroit, entered into a com- 
{xict, the object of which was to appropriate to themselves a tract of territory 
comprising nearly twenty millions of acres, situated between ]^akes Erie, 
Huron, and Michigan. This was to be done by securing to themselves the 
pre-emption right. The land was to be divided into forty-one shares, five 
i)f which were to be aj)portioned among the tradcre of Detroit who were 
I)arties to the agreement, six were to be given to Randall and those asso- 
ciated with him, and the remainder were to be distributed among members 
(if Congress who should exert their influence in procuring the passage of 
the necessary law. The amount proposed to be paid for this vast tract was 
from half a million to a million of dollars; and it was believed that the 
merchants of Detroit had sufficient influence with the Indians to induce 
them to part with the land. In opposition to the measure, it was represented 
that, under the treaty of 1783, the right'of purchase belonged exclusively 
to the United States ; while, on the other hand, it was urged that the Indians 
wore dissatisfied with this treaty, and did not consider themselves bound by 
it, and that the plan proposed would alone establish tranquility among 
them, and secure peace to the country. But, as soon as the corrupt char- 
acter of the plan was discovered, the two principal projecters were l)rought 
before the bar of the House of Representatives, when, on the hearing of 
the evidence, Randall was discharged, but Whitney was fined to the amount 
of the costs which had accrued, and received a severe reprimand. 

The Indian power having been broken by Wayne's victory, and the treaty 
of Greenville binding the savages from farther aggression, the island of IVIack- 
iuaw was at last surrendered, and Detroit also given up, the retiring garri- 
son, to show their spite, locking the gates of the fort, breaking the windows 
in the barracks, and filling the wells with stones, in order to annoy the new 
(jccupants as much as was in their power. The latter post was soon after 
taken possession of by a d(;tachment of troo})s under the connnand of Cap- 
tain Porter, and the American flag hoisted on its ramparts for the first time. 
Thus ^Michigan at last passed quietly into the possession of the United 
States. 

While the English held this country, Mackinaw was the chief i)lace of 
rondc/.vous for the Indians and the traders of the Northwest Com])anv. 
Startmg from this picturesque island in huge canoes, propelled by the vo;/- 
age\ir.<, the merchants would at times sweep across the sparkling wati-rs of 
those inland seas, provided with the means of the most luxurious revelry, 
and, encamping on their shores, would there hold their feasts, surrounded 
by half-bred defwudants, traders, and Indians. 

While the French were in possession of this country, as there was l)ut 
little coin for general circulation, accounts were kept in beaver-skins or other 
furs reduced to their current vahie. The price of beaver at oMicliilinuick- 
iuac in 1765 was two shillings and sixpence the pound, Miehilimackinac 
currency; otter-skins were six shillings each, and marten-skins one shilling 



64 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAX. 

and sixpence. Ten boaver-skins were (riven for a stroud blanket, eiGrht for 
a white blanket, two for a pound of powder, one for a jwund of shot or ball, 
twenty fir a gun, two for an axe of one pound weight, and one for a knife. 
The notes and coin of Quebec were sometimes seen at the lake posts, but not 
in sufficient quantity to be relied on for a uniform currency. 

CONDITION AFTER THE SURRENDER OF THE POSTS. 

It was a long time after this fertile but uncultivated territory came into the 
possession of the United States before its character w^as materially changed. 
The Canadian French continued to form the principal part of its population. 
The interior of the country was but little known except by the Indians and 
the traders, who explored it in the pursuit of furs. As the effect of trans- 
ferring the jurisdiction from France to England had been little more than 
to change the garrisons from French to English, and to give to the Hud- 
son's Bay Company a monopoly of the fur-trade, so its surrender to the 
United States produced but little alteration in its general features. As the 
Indian title was not fully extinguished, no lands were brought into market, 
and, consequently, the settlements proceeded but veiy slowly. 

In the division of the Northwestern Territory, what is now the State of 
IMichigan constituted a single county, which received the name of Wayne. 
It sent one representative to the Legislature of the Northwestern Territory, 
which was held at Chilicothe. A Court of Common Pleas was organized 
for the county, and the general court of the whole territory sometimes met 
at Detroit. No roads had as yet been constructed through the interior, nor 
were there any settlements except on the frontiers. The habits of the people 
were essentially military, and but little attention was paid to agriculture 
except by the French peasantry. In Avinter they drove their carrioles over 
the ice with their Canadian ponies that were of Norman stock, many of 
which are now to be seen in this country ; and in summer they employed 
small wooden carts, well adapted to the state of the roads, for the carriage 
of their goods — vehicles that are still used. 

The county continued to send a representative to the General Assembly of 
the Northwestern Territory at Chilicothe until 1800, when Indiana was 
erected into a separate territory ; and two years afterward it was annexed 
to this new-formed territory, and remained under its jurisdiction until 1805. 
In the month of January of that year it was erected into a separate terri- 
tory, and William Hull was appointed the first governor. The system of 
government was somewhat peculiar, the executive power being confided in 
the governor, the judicial in three judges, who were authorized to "adopt 
and publi.sh" laws suited to the territory, and not incompatible with the 
ordinance of 1787, and the legislative power was exercised by the two jointly. 
On the 25th of July of that year the territory was divided into three districts, 
namely, Eric, Huron, and Michilimackinac, fi)r each of which a court was 
established, to be held by one of the judges of the Supreme Court of the 
territory, with exclusive jurisdiction in criminal matters, and also in all civil 
cases above the sum of twenty dollars, those below this sum being cognizable 
by justices of the peace. A few years afterward it was divided into coun- 
ties, in each of which was organized a county court. The laws thus intro- 
duced were, as might be expected, crude and ill-digested, as is abundantly 
attested by the records of the courts at that period, which are still pre- 
served. 

General Hull, when he arrived at Detroit to assume his official duties as 
governor of the territory, found the town in ruins, it having been destroyed 



CONDITION AFTER THE SURRENDER OF THE POSTS. Qo 

by fire. Whether this disaster had been occasioned by accident or design 
was not known. However this may have been, as the town was very com- 
pact, covering only two acres of ground, and the materials were of the 
most combustible nature, it was soon entirely consumed, and the unfortunate 
inhabitants were obliged to encamp in the open fields, almost destitute of 
food and shelter. Still they were not discouraged, and soon commenced 
rebuilding their houses on the same site. The General Government also 
took their case into consideration, and an act of Congress was passed, 
granting, to the suflTerers the site of the old town of Detroit, and ten thous- 
and acres of land adjoining it. 

A judiciary system was now adopted, and the territorial militia were 
organized. In October of the same year a report was made to Congress of 
the condition of the territory, and in May of the following year a code of 
laws was adopted similar to those of the original States. This code was 
signed by Governor Hull, Augustus B. Woodward, and Frederick Bates, 
judges of the territory, and was called the " Woodward Code." The 
bounds of the territorial government, as then established, embraced all the 
country on the American side of the Detroit river, east of a north and 
south line drawn through the centre of Lake Michigan. 

The Indian laud-claims had been partially extinguished previous to this 
l)oriod. By the treaty of Fort JNIcIntosh in 1785, and that of Fort Ilar- 
mar in 1787, extensive cessions had either been made or confirmed, and in 
the year 1807 the Indian titles to several tracts became entirely extinct. 

In consequence of the settlements which had been made under the 
French and English Governments, some confusion sprang up in regard to 
the titles to valuable tracts that were claimed by diflerent individuals 
under the French laws. Congress accordingly passed an act establishing a 
])oard of Commissioners to examine and settle these conflicting claims ; and 
in 1807 another act was passed, confirming to a certain extent the titles of 
all such as had been in ])ossession of the lands then occupied by them from 
the year 1796, when the territory was surrendered, down to the date of that 
act. Other acts were subsequently passed, extending the same conditions 
to the settlements on the upper lakes. 

In addition to their settlements along the shores of the Detroit and St. 
Clair rivers, and the lake of the latter name, where there was a continued 
line of cottages, Avith farms adjoining, containing orchards of pear and 
apple trees, planted, probably, in the reign of Louis XIV., and the old 
]>osts on the island of IMackinaw, at Ste. ISIarie and at St. Joseph, the 
French colonists had a line of cabins on the river Raisin, where the city of 
Monroe (then called Frenchtown) now stands. The interior of the country 
was but little known except by those who were engaged in the fur-trade, 
and these were interested in representing it in as unfavorable a light as 
])()ssi])le. The Indian titles to the land had been but partially extinguished, 
and no portion of the public domain had yet been brought into market. 
But few American settlers had therefore ventured into this region, though 
the adjoining State of Ohio had already acquired a considerable popu- 
lation. 

The distance of this territory also, and the unsettled state of aflTairs 
along the western borders of the lakes, necessarily prevented immigration. 
On the opposite shore there was a jealous foreign })ower, and the interior 
of the country was occupied by different savage tribes. The territory, too, 
had but just emerged from an Indian war, and another was evidently pre- 
paring. This third Indian confederacy was not only countenanced by the 
Fuglish, but directly instigated by them. The motives which led to it, and 
E 



66 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

the means employed to bring it about, were the same as had proved suc- 
cessful iu exciting the former insurrections under Pontiac and the Little 
Turtle. The old story was revived, that the Americans were about to 
drive the Indians from their lands that they might occupy them themselves. 
The chief projectors of this savage league were Tecumseh and his brother 
the Prophet. 

The warlike leader of the enterprise was Tecumseh, while the Prophet, 
whose Indian name was ElLswatawa, was to operate on the minds of the 
savages by means of superstition, and to excite in them a spirit of fanaticism 
still more to inflame their natural ferocity. 

The disaffection of these tribes was certainly what might have been ex- 
pected. They saw a new power encroaching upon the inheritance that had 
been handed down to them from their ancestors, introducing their hated 
cultivation upon their soil, and rudely disturbing the graves of their dead. 
It was not difficult, therefore, to unite them in one last desperate struggle 
to resist this aggressive and threatening power. 

Their titles had been only very partially extinguished, and they com- 
plained, that where this had been done, the treaties had been unfairly con- 
ducted ; that the Indians had been deceived ; that they were in a state of 
intoxication at the time they signed away their lands, and that, even under 
these circumstances, only a part of the tribes had given their consent. The 
dissatisfaction thus existing among them was artfully fomented by the agents 
of the Northwest Company, who foresaw that if the Americans were per- 
mitted to occupy this country they would be cut oft' from a valuable portion 
of their trade; while the English Government, which had ceded away this 
extensive tract without any very definite notions of its importance or extent, 
looked with complacency on any attempts made by the savages to retain it 
in their hands. An overreaching spirit had doubtless actuated many of the 
pioneer settlers of the West, and wrongs had been inflicted upon the Indians 
which required correction. Taking advantage of this, the traders, and the 
English generally, were indefatigable in sowing the seeds of discontent among 
the savage tribes ; and it was contended that they should hold the undis- 
turbed possession of the Northwestern Territory, without surrendering the 
right of pre-emption to the United States. 

The Prophet commenced his mission among the tribes in 1806. Taking 
advantage of the supei-stitious notions of the Indians, he told them that the 
Great Spirit had appeared to him in a dream, and appointed him his agent 
upon the earth ; and that, as such, his own tribe, the Shawanese, beuig the 
oldest tribe of the West, he was commanded to direct them to form a gen- 
eral confederacy against the United States. He had been instructed also, 
he said, to proclaim to the red men that it was the Avill of the Great Spirit 
that they should throw away the arts of civilization, return to their skins 
for clothing, and to their bows and war-clubs for arms, renounce the intox- 
icating drinks of the white men for pure water, and, in a word, resume all 
the customs of their ancestors. The Americans, he said, had driven the 
Indians from the seacoast, and were now preparing to push them into the 
lakes, so that they had no alternative but to make a stand where they were, 
and drive back these insatiable intruders to the other side of the Alleghany 
Mountains. 

The plan of this league was in many respects similar to that formed by 
Pontiac. Tecuraseh's intention was to surprise the posti) of Detroit, Fort 
Wayne, Chicago, St. Louis, and Vincenncs, and to unite all the tribes from 
the borders of New York to the banks of the Mississippi. 

As early as the year 1807, the Shawanese chief and his brother, the Pro- 



CONDITION AFTER THE SURRENDER OF THE POSTS. 67 

phet, Avere actively engaged in sending their emissaries, with presents and 
war-belts, to the most distant tribes, to induce them to join in the confed- 
eracy; and when the comet appeared in 1811, the latter artfully turned it 
to account, by practising on the superstitions of the savages. Thus the fame 
and the influence of the Prophet spread rapidly among the tribes of the 
Northwest. 

On the 4th of May, a special mission, consisting of deputies from the 
Ottawas, was sent to a distant post upon the borders of Lake Superior, and 
a grand council being there assembled, it was addressed by Le Marquoit, 
or Trout. He told the Indians that he had been sent by the messenger and 
representative of the Great Spirit, and that he was commissioned to deliver 
to them a speech from the "first man whom God had created, said to be in 
the Shawanese country." 

He then informed them what were the instructions of the Great Spirit in 
the succeeding address: "I am the father of the English, of the French, of 
the Spaniards, and of the Indians. I created the first man, who was the 
common father of all these people as well as of yourselves, and it is through 
him, whom I have awaked from his long sleep, that I now address you. But 
the Americans I did not make. They are not my children, but the children 
of the Evil Spirit. They grew from the scum of the great water when it 
was troubled by the Evil Sj)irit, and the froth was driven into the woods by 
a strong east wind. They are numerous, but I hate them. My children, 
you must not speak of this talk to the wjiites; it must be hidden from them. 
I am now on the earth, sent by the Great Spirit to instruct you. Each 
village must send me tAvo or more })riucipal chiefs, to represent you, that 
you may be taught. The bearer of this talk must point out to you the path 
to my AvigAvam. I could not come myself to L'Arbre Croche, because the 
Avorld is changed from Avhat it Avas. It is broken and leans doAvn, and as it 
declines the ChippcAvas and all beyond will fall off and die; therefore, you 
must come to see me and be instructed. Those villages Avhich do not listen 
to this talk Avill be cut off from the face of the earth." 

It Avas by such means that the savages Avere roused to attack the frontier 
settlements of the West, and afterAvard to unite Avith the English in their 
war Avith the United States. In consequence of these menacing movements 
of the Indians, it Avas considered adA'isable to construct a stockade around 
the toAvn of Detroit for its defence. The population Avas as yet small. 
There had been, indeed, up to that time but little to encourage the settle- 
ment of the country. The land had not been offered for sale, and a great 
portion of "Western NcAV York Avas still unoccupied: not a single steamer 
navigated the lakes, nor had any roads been made into the interior. 

Nor Avas the neighborhood of Detroit Avilhout symptoms of Indian disaf- 
fection. In September, 1809, a special council of the Hurons Avas called 
near BrownstoAvn, aud, at the instigation of their principal chief, Walk-iu- 
the- Water, they freely spoke of their grievances to Governor IIull. The 
speech addressed by this chief to the governor, setting forth the title of his 
tribe U) a large tract of territory near the mouth of the Detroit river, which 
was claimed by the United States under the treaty of Greenville, shows hoAV 
much dissatisfied they Avere with this treaty, and Avith the encroachments of 
the Americans upon their soil. In the midst of all these evidences of dis- 
content on the part of the Indians, Michigan remained in a comparatively 
defenceless state. There Avere at this time in the Avhole territory but nine 
settlements of any importance; nor Avas the character of the population at 
these points such that it could be expected to oppose any very active resist- 
ance m the conflict which seemed to be approaching. 



68 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

These settlements were situated on the rivers Miami and Raisin, on the 
Huron of Lake Erie, on the Ecorce, Rouge, and Detroit rivers, on the Hu- 
ron of St. Clair, the St. Clair river, and the island of Mackinaw ; and, in 
addition to these, there was here and there a group of huts belonging to the 
French fur-traders. The villages upon the INIaumee, the Raisin, and the 
Huron of Lake Erie contained a population of about thirteen hundred ; the 
post of Detroit and the settlements on the rivers Rouge and Ecorce and on 
the Huron of St. Clair numbered two thousand two hundred ; the island of 
Mackinaw, with the small detached log-houses, about a thousand ; Detroit 
was garrisoned by ninety-four men, and Mackinaw by seventy-nine. Thus 
the entire population of the State was only about four thousand eight hun- 
dred, four-fifths of whom were Canadian French, and the remainder chiefly 
Americans, with a few English and Scotch. 

As there was no longer any doubt of the hostile intentions of the savages, 
it was deemed prudent to present a memorial to Congress, setting forth the 
defenceless condition of the territory and praying for aid from that body. 
Accordingly, on the 27th of December, 1811, such a petition Avas drawn up, 
signed by the principal inhabitants of Detroit, and forwarded to Wash- 
ington. 

The joint efforts of Tecumseh and the Prophet were successful in drawing 
a large body of Indians, probably not less than eight hundred, from the 
shores of Lake Superior to the station of the latter at Tippecanoe, though it 
is supposed that one-third of their number died of want and hardship on the 
way. Their plans were now nearly ripe for action, and parties of the Otta- 
was,' the Miamis, the Chippewas, the Wyandots, the Mississagies, the Shaw- 
anese, and the Winnebagoes were to be seen with their bodies painted for 
war, and again seizing the hatchet. 

The first hostile demonstrations were made against the French settle- 
ments, where bands of strange warriors made their appearance, armed for 
battle, and painted in the most hideous manner, with feathers stuck in their 
hair, and strings of bears' claws about their necks, entering the houses by 
f jrce, taking whatever they chose, and wantonly destroying Avith their toma- 
hawks the beehives in the gardens of the settlers. Near the banks of the 
Kalamazoo, in the county of the same name, a smith's forge had been set 
up, where hatchets and knives were made for the approaching contest : and 
at no great distance from it, in a retired spot, surrounded by a dense forest, 
the Indian women, with their children, had collected, for the purpose of 
raising corn to furnish a supply of food for the warriors. 

Still more flagrant acts of aggression were perpetrated in the State of In- 
diana, where numerous murders were committed, and horses and other 
property stolen. It had been for some time noticed that the savages were 
collecting about the Prophet's station, apparently with no friendly design. 
A conference was therefore held, in which it was insisted that these hordes 
should be made to return to their homes, that the property which had been 
stolen from the Americans should be restored, and that the murderers should 
be given up. 

Tecumseh, on his part, denied that any league, such as Avas complained 
of, had been formed, and protested that he and his brother had no other 
object in collecting the tribes together but to strengthen the amicable rela- 
tions between them, and to improve their moral condition. In regard to the 
murderers of the whites, who were alleged to have taken refuge among his 
tribe, he denied tliat they were there, saying, at the same time, that even if 
they were they ought to he forgiven, as he had forgiven the whites who had 
murdered his own people in Illinois. 



WAR BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES. 69 

All their plans Laving been fully matured, the contest at length began in 
earnest, on the banks of the Wabash, at the Prophet's town ; and, while the 
battle was raging, tlie Prophet was seen on an adjoining eminence singing 
a war-song to inflame with greater desperation the savage combatants. It 
was now no longer doubtful that another fierce and obstinate struggle was 
to be encountered. The Indian warriors, excited by fanaticism and a thirst 
for blood, in opposition to their chiefs, hastened from all sides towards the 
lake frontier to join Tecumseh. Meanwhile, the English on the ojjposite 
shores were looking Avith no small interest upon what was passing, regard- 
ing the savages as important allies to their own cause in the conflict in 
which they expected shortly to be engaged. " My son," said one of their 
agents to an Indian chief, " keep your eyes fixed on me. My tomahawk is 
now up ; be you ready, but do not strike till I give the signal." 

The statement of the fact should not be omitted that about this time the 
American Fur Company was formed, under the auspices of Mr. John Jacob 
Astor, of New York. Its operations were carried on much after tlie man- 
ner of the old French and English companies, by establishing chains of 
posts along the lake shores. This company annually collected a great quan- 
tity of furs, which were sent by the way of the INIississippi or the lakes to 
New York, from whence a large part of them were exj)orted to foreign 
countries. They had also an extensive fishery on Lake Superior, where 
they took great quantities of trout and whitefish, which were salted, packed 
in barrels, and sent to the different ports of the adjoining country. But 
the company is now virtually extinct. 

WAR BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES. 

In June, 1812, war was declared between Great Britain and the United 
States. Without entering into particulars as to the causes of this war, suf- 
fice it to say that it was chiefly provoked by the continued impressment of 
American seamen, the unjust capture of American vessels, and the enforce- 
ment of illegal blockades. 

Governor Hull, the year before, had represented to the General Govern- 
ment the exposed and defenceless condition of jNIichigan. That the posts 
at Detroit, ^lackinaw, and Chicago were badly fortified and with insuffi- 
cient garrisons, while at no great distance from them there was a large 
body of British subjects, who could, in case of war, be brought against 
them ; that the whole American force consisted of ])ut about five thousand 
men, whereas the militia of Canada amounted to more than one hundred 
thousand ; and that the forests about Detroit were filled with hostile sav- 
ages, who were secretly pledged to the confederacy of Tecumseh. This 
post he represented as of great importance, inasmuch as it commanded a 
wide extent of country, and furnished a point of support for operations 
against the Indians of the upper lakes. He proposed, therefore, that a 
powerful naval armament should be equipped (.m Lake Erie, sufficient to 
command that inland sea, and to co-operate effectively with the force at 
Detroit ; or, if that were not done, that a strong detachment of troops 
should be marched from Niagara, to act in conjunction with those under his 
command in the invasion of the Britbh provinces. 

A body of troops was soon collected at Dayton, in Ohio, consisting of 
about twelve hundred men, raised by order of the President of the United 
States, and their number was somewhat increased by volunteers. These 
troops were formed into three regiments, under the command of Colonels 
McArthur, Finelly, and Cass, and a fourth regiment, about three hundred 



70 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Strong, under Colonel Miller, afterward joined them, the whole being under 
the command of General Hull, the governor of Michigan, 

With this force the general marched from Dayton towards Detroit, 
and soon arrived at the Maumee of the lakes. The dense forests through 
which they had to pass, wholly without roads, opposed formidable obstacles 
to their progress. At the rapids of the Maumee a vessel was procured for 
the transportation of the sick soldiers, and of such bulky articles as would 
encumber the army. As this vessel was proceeding for Detroit by the way 
of the channel leading to Maiden, she was captured by the British, who 
communicated to the Americans the first news of the declaration of war. 

On the fifth of July General Hull arrived at Detroit, where his troops 
immediately set themselves to work to prepare for the coming contest. 
Four days afterward he received a communication from the Secretary of 
War, investing him with discretionary power either to seize JNIalden and 
advance into Canada, or to remain on the defensive. That place formed 
the most prominent and commanding position upon this part of the lake 
coast, and its possession would give him advantages in any future opera- 
tions against the provinces of Canada. 

He therefore crossed the Detroit river with his army, and established 
himself at Sandwich. From his headquarters at this place he issued a 
proclamation* addressed to the Canadians, setting forth his object in in- 
vading their country, and inviting them to place themselves under the pro- 
tection of the United States ; protesting, at the same time, against the 
barbarity of employing the savages, and threatening indiscriminate retal- 
iation against all who should be found fighting by their side. It was 
hoped that by this means the French Canadians would be induced either 
to join the Americans or remain neutral. 

Many of the American officers were anxious to proceed immediately 
to the attack of Maiden, but it was determined to wait for heavy artillery 
to be brought from Detroit. The army, therefore, remained quietly at 
Sandwich, merely sending out occasional foraging parties to procure pro- 
visions. 

General Hull wished to ascertain what was the actual state of things at 
Maiden, and he accordingly detached Colonel Cass, with two hundred and 
eighty men, to reconnoitre that position. On reaching the river Canard, he 
dislodged a picket-guard of the enemy, killing ten of their number, and 
seizing the bridge which they had been stationed there to defend. This 
bridge was only about four miles from Maiden, and Colonel Cass was 
anxious to keep possession of it, to aid them in their contemplated attack 
upon that place. This, however, was thought inexpedient by General Hull, 
as such a course, he said, would bring on a general engagement, which he 
wished at that moment to avoid, as his artillery had not yet arrived, and a 
considerable detachment had been sent away from his army. 

While tlie Americans wore thus stationary at Sandwich, a British force 
was d(\spatched from the Canada side to take po.sscssiiui of the island of 
Mackiuaw. The whole garrison of this post was only fifty-seven men, under 
the command of Lieutenant Hanks ; and the first intimation which this 
officer received of the declaration of war was the arrival of a body of Brit- 
ish troops, supported by more than a thousand Indian warriors, consisting 
of Sioux, Winncbagoes, Talleswain Ottawas, and Chij^iiewas. The savages, 
it appears, had been directed, in case of resistance, to show no quarter, and 



* This energetic and well-written address is said to have been from the pen of Got- 
ernor, then Colonel Cass. 



WAR BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES. 71 

the odds being so fearfully against him, the American officer immediately 
surrendered. A detachment, under the command of Capt. Brush, had been 
sent by Governor Meigs, of Ohio, to escort a quantity of provisions destined 
for the American army, and General Hull, being informed that a body of 
Indians had left JNIalden to intercept this convoy, despatched Major Van 
Horn, with two hundred men, for its protection. On arriving at Browns- 
town this detachment was suddenly attacked by the savages, who, from 
behind a breastwork of logs and the trunks of trees, opened a deadly fire 
upon the American troops. Major Van Horn, finding himself unable to 
contend against the superior numbers of the enemy, retreated to Detroit, 
leaving eighteen of his men dead on the field. 

The ordnance he was waiting for from Detroit not having arrived, on the 
8th of August General Hull convened a council of war for the purpose of 
deciding what should be done, when it was determined to remain two days 
longer, and at the expiration of that time to make an attempt upon Maiden 
at all hazards. Information, however, having been received in the mean- 
time that the garrison at ^Maiden had been re-enforced, General Hull 
changed his resolution, withdrew his army from the British territory, and 
retired to Detroit. The reasons he assigned for so unexpected a movement 
were, that General Brock was on his way to Maiden with a considerable 
body of fresh troops ; that his communication with Detroit was in danger 
of being cut off; and that the savage bands from the upper lakes, having 
no farther occupation in that quarter, )vould soon be pouring down upon 
him. 

As it was important to open a communication with the River Raisin, that 
the army might receive the supplies sent from Ohio, six hundred men, under 
Lieutenant-Colonel JNIiller, had been detached to Frenchtowu by General 
Hull for that object, the day that he crossed the Detroit river. Scarcely 
had this body reached Monguagon, when they were attacked by a superior 
force of British and Indians, the latter led on by Tecumseh, who opened 
upon them a destructive fire from their usual lurking-places behind trees 
and fallen timber, and in thickets of brushwood. The enemy being pro- 
tected by a dense forest on the left. Colonel ]\Iiller advanced into it with his 
whole line, ordering his men to deliver a single fire, and then charge with 
the bayonet. This was gallantly done, and the British, as well as their 
savage allies, gave way before the fury of the onset. But, though thrown 
into confusion and broken, they still continued to fight with the utmost des- 
peration. Tecumseh, although wounded, was seen in the thickest of the 
battle, and his shrill warcry was heard above the fire of the nmsketry. An 
Indian, whose leg had been broken by a musket-ball, while writhing with 
the agony of his wound, loaded his rifle and shot an American horseman. 
Many of the savages had stationed themselves in the t(jps of the trees, from 
which they discharged their rifles and arrows with deadly aim. The British 
force was commanded by INIajor ISIuir, of the forty-first regiment, and was 
four hundred strong without the Intlians. The American loss in the action 
was ten non-commissioned officers and privates killed and forty-five wounded 
of the regular troops, and eight killed and forty-five wounded of the Ohio 
and Michigan volunteers. The British retreated under the cover of their 
armed vessels, which were anchored in the Detroit river, while the savages 
scattered themselves in the woods. 

It was now determined to bring in the supplies needed for the army by a 
more circuitous route, and Colonels j\[c Arthur and Cass, with three hundred 
and fifty of the best troops, were detached from Detroit on the 13th of Au- 
gust for that object 



72 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

On the 14th the British General Brock arrived at Maiden, and, advanc- 
ing immediately to Sandwich with all his forces, the following day he sum- 
moned General Hull to surrender. " It is far from my intention," he said, 
"to join in a war of extermination, but you must l)e aware that the numerous 
bodies of Indians who have attached themselves to my troops will be beyond 
my control the moment the contest commences." To this menace the Amer- 
ican general answered, "I have no other reply to make than that I am pre- 
pared to meet any force which may be at your disi:»osal." 

The character of General Hull seems to have been well understood by the 
British commander. Indeed, in addition to the evidence he had given of 
indecision in not advancing against Maiden, it was alleged that a jDortion of 
his correspondence, found on board an American vessel captured near that 
place, but too clearly evinced a want of those qualities which should dis- 
tinguish a military commander. 

Tecumseh, with his warriors, was at this time with the British general, 
to aid him in his projected attack upon the American post ; and the latter, 
being anxious to acquire some knowledge of the country around Detroit, 
that he might avail himself of it in case he should from any cause be obliged 
to retreat into the neighboring forest, applied to this chief for information. 
Tecumseh took a strip of elm bark, stretched it upon the ground, and placed 
a stone upon each corner. Then with his scalping-knife he delineated upon 
it an accurate representation of the country, with its swamps, woods, and 
rivers. Pleased with this display of ingenuity, and to show his gratitude 
for the important services which this renowned chief had rendered to the 
British cause. Brock took his sash from his waist and presented it to him. 
The savage, however, would not wear it, but gave it to the Wyandot chief, 
Kound-Head, "because," said he, "he is an older and better warrior than I 
am.'.' Before the British crossed to the American side, their commander 
expressed a hope that the Indians, in case Detroit was taken, would not 
massacre the defenceless inhabitants. " No," answered Tecumseh ; " I despise 
them too much to have anything to do with them." 

As soon as he received the refusal to capitulate. Brock commenced a can- 
nonade upon the American fort from across the river. This was answered 
from the opposite shore with considerable effect. An armed vessel being now 
seen about a mile below Detroit, it was supposed that the British intended 
to cross there, and Captain Snelling was detached with a body of troops to 
prevent it. It was suggested at the same time that a single piece of heavy- 
ordnance would compel the British armed vessel to remove from her posi- 
tion, and keep tlie enemy from landing. This advice, however, was disre- 
garded, and Captain Snelling was recalled to the fort by break of day. 

Very early on the morning of the 16th the whole British force was seen 
slowly crossing the river under cover of their armed vessels, and they soon 
landed and advanced to Springwells without opposition. Here they halted, 
while the British general sent a second summons to the commander of the 
American post to surrender. It was not long, however, before the enemy 
was again seen advancing, his force being composed of regulars and of vol- 
unteers dressed in British uniforms, approaching nearer and nearer, as they 
moved deliberately through the forest bordering on the river, supported by 
their Indian allies under Maissot, Walk-in-the-Water, and Tecumseh. The 
American soldiers were impatiently waiting for orders to lire upon the advanc- 
ing column, when all at cmce a white flag was hoisted upon tiie walls of the 
fort. General I lull, with cannon planted and poised to carry dostruction.into 
the ranks of the enemy, with a force which, to say the least, could have success- 
fully resisted any immediate attack, suddenly gave orders that the detach- 



WAR BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES. 73 

ments posted outside of the pickets and those on the ramparts should retire 
within the fort. Detroit, in a word, was given up without a shot being fired. 
The American soldiers dashed their muskets upon the ground in an agony 
of mingled shame and indignation. The regular troops were surrendered as 
prisoners of war, all the public property was given up, and no stipulations 
were made in behalf of the Canadian allies. The honor of the American 
arms was tarnished, and General Hull was disgraced forever. The detach- 
ments under Colonel Cass and Captain Brush had been included in the 
capitulation, but they fortunately escaped the disgrace that had been j)re- 
pared for them. 

General Hull was tried for treason and cowardice before a court-martial, 
and, though acquitted on the first charge, was convicted on th^ second, 
and sentenced to be shot : but, in consideration of his former services in the 
war of the Revolution, he was pardoned by the President. There seems 
to be no doubt in some minds that the conduct of General Hull was not 
that of a brave and efficient officer. He neglected to advance into Can- 
ada when he might have done so with a fair prospect of success ; he evinced 
a want of firmness in resisting the enemy ; and, finally, he gave up an im- 
portant post that was prepared for a siege without firing a gun in its de- 
fence ; surrendering, at the same time, the entire territory under his charge. 

Oji the other hand, it has been said in his defence that he was in the 
midst of an immense wilderness, filled with savages, where he was cut off 
from all aid from the East. It has been alleged, too, that a spirit of insub- 
ordination prevailed among the militia, and that party strife among them 
ran high. But we would draw a veil over the subject. This much is in his 
fiivor, that the verdict of the court exonerated him from .the guilt of treason, 
whatever might have been the verdict of his country. 

Meantime the military post of Chicago also capitulated. Influenced by 
a fear of the hostile Indians on the borders of Lake INIichigan, General Plull 
had, on the first breaking out of the war, ordered Captain Heald, the com- 
mander of this post, to abandon it and retire to Fort Wayne. A large body 
of savages had collected around it, and they were promised all the surplus 
stores if they would abstain from harassing the detachment on its with- 
drawal from the fort. There was among these stores a quantity of jiowder 
and whiskey, either of which it was thought imprudent to relinquish to the 
Indians ; tlie former was accordingly deposited in a Avell and the latter 
thrown away. The savages, however, found out what had been done, and 
they were perceived collecting around the fort, apparently with hostile in- 
tentions. The garrison, consisting of fifty-four regulars and twelve militia- 
men, accompanied by twelve families who had fled there for protection, 
retired from the post, and had not proceeded more than half a mile when 
they were attacked by the savages. Having imprudently destroyed the 
means of defending themselves, they were soon compelled to surrender, which 
they did not do, however, until about half their number had been killed 
and several of the women and children. The prisoners were distributed 
among the neighboring tribes, and on the following morning the fort was set 
on fire and burned to the ground. 

Being now in possession of ]\[ichigan, the British established a provision- 
ary government at Detroit, the savages meanwhile being permitted at pleas- 
ure to ravage the frontier settlements and insult the defenceless inhal)itants. 

But, although the British arms had been thus far successful, it was deter- 
mined to wrest from them the advantages they had gained. Accordingly 
three separate armies were assembled : that of the north, stationed u])on the 
shores of Lake Champlain, and under the command of General Hampton ; 

E* 



74 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

that of the centre, between Lakes Ontario and Erie, under General Dear- 
born ; and that of the west, under General Harrison, to take up its position 
at the head of Lake Erie. The protection of the Michigan frontier, there- 
fore, devolved more immediately upon the latter. The defence of Upper 
Canada was at this time committed to Colonels Proctor and Vincent, and 
that of the lower province to General Sheafie, under the direction of the 
governor-general of the provinces. 

General Harrison lost no time in marching his army towards the lake 
frontier. He sent forward a detachment of his forces to Presque Isle, to 
wait there for the arrival of the main body; and General Winchester, with 
eight hundred Kentuckians, was ordered to advance to Frenchtown, on the 
Eiver Raisin, where he arrived on the 13th of January. 

This officer took up a position on the Frenchtown side of the river, close 
to its banks. Sentinels were placed around the encampment, and the night 
being cold, the troops spent the greater part of it in ranging about the vil- 
lage. During the evening, a French Canadian from Maiden gave infor- 
mation that a body of British and Indians, amounting in all to about three 
thousand men, were preparing to start from that place for the River Raisin 
soon after he left. No notice, however, was taken of this intelligence, from 
a belief that it was without any foundation, and, consequently, no precau- 
tionary measures were adopted, the main road by which alone the enemy 
could pass being left entirely unguarded. So completely unapprehensive, 
indeed, was the American commander of any danger, that he had taken 
lodgings on the opposite bank of the river, at the house of a Frenchman. 

Early on the morning of the 22d of January, just after the reveille had 
been beaten, a rapid fire of musketry was heard from the sentinels. The 
enemy, it appears, had arrived without being observed during the night, and 
taken up a position behind a small ravine, from which he now opened a 
tremendous fire of shells, and of grape and cannon shot, upon the American 
camp. The consternation of the Americans was greatly increased by the 
advance of the British troops under Proctor, and by the fiendish yells of 
the savages. A general panic ensued, and great numbers were cut down. 
In the meantime. General Winchester arrived from the opposite shore, and 
attempted to rally his retreating soldiers; but, exposed as they were to a 
heavy fire from the enemy, they continued to fall back. Orders were then 
given to incline towards the centre, and retire within the pickets of their 
camp. These orders, however, appear not to have been heanl, and the 
troops, pressed by the bayonets of the British regulars, and attacked by the 
savages on their right, retreated in great confusion upon the ice across the 
river. 

An attempt was now made to re-enforce the right wing, but without suc- 
cess. Owing to the suddenness of the attack, and the want of all prepara- 
tion to meet it, there was neither system, discipline, nor obedience. The 
savages had posted themselves along the ed^ of the surrounding forest, at 
every point where there was any chance for retreat. They also completely 
commanded the long narrow lane leading to the village, ami here great 
numbers of the Americans were killed. On the borders of the wood, the 
two chiefs, Round-Head and Split-Log urged on their warriors to the com- 
mission of the most frightful cruelties, and here the tomahawk and scalping- 
knife were dyed in blood. Colonel Allen was shot down, but Majors Graves 
and Madison continued gallantly to maintain their position within the pickets 
against all the attacks of the British, su])porte(l by their savage allies. Gen- 
eral Winchester had in the meantime been taken prisoner; and not long 
after a flag arrived from the British lines with orders addressed to Major 



WAR BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES, 75 

Madison from that officer to cease hostilities, and surrender his troops pris- 
oners of war. To this the former replied, that, as the Indians were in the 
habit of massacring their prisoners, he would agree to no capitulation unless 
the safety of his men was first expressly guaranteed. The surrender was 
finally adjusted upon the conditions that the lives of the soldiers should be 
protected ; that individual property should be held sacred ; that sleds should 
be sent the next morning with the wounded to Amherstburg, and that the 
sidearms of the officers should be restored at ]\Ialden. The battle-field was 
covered with the lifeless forms of the brave Kentuckians, who but a few 
hours before were seen full of hope, and glowing with all the ardor of patri- 
otisin. The painted savage and the British regular, the ardent and chival- 
rous son of high promise, who had been nursed in the lap of luxury, and 
the hardy yeoman, with his sleeves bared for battle, as they had been before 
rolled up while guiding the plough across his peaceful prairies, lay side by 
side on this field of death. 

Shortly after the action, Colonel Proctor marched away with his regular 
troops and most of his savage allies, the remainder being left to guard the 
prisoners. At about sunrise the next morning, however, most of the Indians 
were seen coming back, painted in the most hideous manner, and in a state 
of intoxication. It was not long before they set up their horrid yells, and, 
rushing into the houses where the Avounded prisoners were lying, they tore 
from them their blankets, and then despatched them with their tomahawks. 
Among these unhappy men there was a young Kentuckian of extraordinary 
beauty. Struck wit h his perfect proportion^! and manly grace, a chief claimed 
him as his prize, and led him in triumph, and in seeming admiration, through 
the village. But this was only in mockery of his victim; the tomahawk was 
commissioned to do its horrid work, and his clustering ringlets were soon 
seen waving from the scalp-stick of the merciless savage. 

Most of the prisoners were confined in two houses. These the savages set 
on fire, and, as their victims attempted to escape from the windows, they 
pushed them back into the flames. Major Woolfolk, General Winchester's 
secretary, was shot dead in the street ; and, to complete the atrocity of this 
bloody transaction, the bodies (jf those who were slain were left where they 
fell to feed the wolves of the neighboring fjrest. The condition of such of 
the prisoners as escaped innnediate death Avas not much better. These were 
marched towards Maiden ; and as soon as, from fatigue and exhaustion, 
they were unable to proceed farther, they were immediately despatched, and 
their bodies left unburied. 

Meantime General Harrison was in Ohio, making every efi()rt in his 
power to overcome the difficulties by which he was surrounded. Michigan, 
from the nature and position of the country, separated as it was by a dense 
forest from tho inhabited portions of the United States, and occupied by 
savage tribes hostile to their cause, was a conquest of great value to the Brit- 
ish. It gave them the command, too, of the posts on the upper lakes, and 
thus they were enabled to control the resources of the vast tract of territory 
along those inland seas and of the country extending from the western bor- 
ders of Indiana and Illinois to the mouth of the Maumce. 

Thus completely in the possessiim of the British and Indians, and pro- 
tected l)y the intervening forests, Lake Erie seemed to be the only channel 
by which Michigan could be approached with a prospect of recovering it 
from the enemy. It became, theretbrc, an object of great importance to 
obtain the mastery on that lake, which was then commanded by an English 
fleet under Commodore Barclay. 

At this conjuncture, Oliver Hazard Perry, a young officer twenty-eight 



76 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

years of age, then in charge of a flotilla of gunboats at Newport, anxious to 
obtain more active service, turned his attention to this lake ; and his views 
having been approved by the Naval Department, he proceeded without 
lose of time to the port of Erie, for the purpose of building and equipping a 
fleet there sufficiently powerful to give him the command of its waters. A 
braver or more efficient officer could have been nowhere found. He was in 
the prime of early manhood, active, vigorous, and intelligent, generous, and 
self-sacrificing even to a fault, and possessed of those fine moral traits which 
gave a finish to his character, and admirably harmonized with the manly 
beauty of his person. He labored with indefatigable zeal to hasten the con- 
struction and equipment of his vessels, and, after encountering and over- 
coming every kind of discouragement, he at length found himself in the 
command of a sufficient force to meet the enemy. As, however, there was 
a difficulty in crossing the bar at the mouth of the harbor, and he was 
closely watched by the British commander, he remained quietly at anchor 
in port until a favorable opportunity should occur to sally forth. At length 
the fortunate moment arrived, and the American fleet was got safely over 
the bar, and made its way towards the upper end of the lake. On reaching 
Put-in Bay, Captain Perry there came to anchor, impatient for an opportu- 
nity to measure his strength with the enemy, and to wrest from him the 
superiority on this inland sea. 

On the 10th of September, at dawn of day, as their anchors were apeak, 
and the crews of the different vessels were shaking out their topgallant-sails, 
the enemy were seen bearing down, under light sail, in order of battle, with 
their hulls newly painted, and the crimson flag of England waving at their 
mastheads. The British fleet, consisting of the ships Detroit, carrying nine- 
teen guns, the Queen Charlotte, of seventeen guns, the schooner Lady Pre- 
vost, of thirteen guns, the brig Hunter, of ten guns, the sloop Little Belt, of 
three guns, and the schooner Chipj^ewa, of one gun and mounting two swiv- 
els, was commanded by a veteran officer of tried skill and valor. 

The British vessels no sooner made their appearance than the American 
fleet prepared for action and stood out upon the lake. It consisted of the 
brigs Lawrence, of twenty guns ; Niagara, of twenty guns ; Caledonia, of 
three guns ; the schooners Ariel, of four guns. Scorpion, of two guns, Som- 
ers, of two guns ; the sloop Trippe, of one gun ; and the schooners Tigress 
and Porcupine, each of one gun. 

While the two fleets were thus approaching each other the savages were 
not idle. Tecumsch had stationed himself with a band of warriors upon the 
island at the mouth of the Detroit river, waiting with intense interest the 
issue of the contest. No sooner was any change made in the movements of 
the hostile squadrons than he paddled "swiftly over to JMahlen to communi- 
cate the fact. From the first roar of their guns he predicted the success of 
the P^nglish, and was greatly surprised when the news was brought to him 
that they had struck their colors to the Americans. 

The order of battle decided on by Commodore Perry was to attack the 
Detroit, the British flag-ship, himself with the Lawrence, to oppose the Niag- 
ara to the Royal Cliarlotte, and the rest of his fleet was ordered to act as 
circumstances might nHpiire, and assail the enemy as they should be directed 
by signals, while the Ariel and Scorpic»n were instructed to take a position 
on the weather-bow and ahead of the Lawrence, in order to draw off' a por- 
tion of the fire from that ship. 

As the two fleets nearcd each other, the action was commenced by the 
enemy's flag-ship, the Detroit, she being mounted with long guns, while the 
American vessels had only short pieces. The American commander re- 



WAR BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES. 77 

solved to capture the hostile fleet or perish in the attempt, bore down directly 
for the Detroit, making signals at the same time for all his vessels to come 
into close action. Owing to causes which are not very clearly understood 
the Niagara did not bear down to his aid. Still he was undaunted, although 
alone and exposed to nearly the whole of the enemy's fire. Ranging along 
the front of their scjuadron, single and unsupported, he successively poured 
up:jn their ships from the battery of the Lawrence tremendous broadsides 
of ball and grape, while he received from them in return a no less destruc- 
tive fire, which shivered his spars and covered his decks with wounded and 
dead. Such a fire no single vessel could long withstand. The hull of his 
ship was pierced in every direction, twenty-one of his men had been killed, 
sixty-one were wounded, and only fifteen remained who were capable of 
duty. All of his cannon except one had been dismounted, and this he con- 
tinued to work with his own hands. 

His ship being thus a complete wreck, and incapable of being longer de- 
fended, he determined to abandon her ; and ordering his boat, amid a 
shower of shot, he proceeded to the Niagara, which vessel then lay at a con- 
siderable distance and had not been yet brought into close action. Meet- 
ing Captain Elliott at the gangway, he requested him to take the boat in 
which he had come and bring up the rest of the vessels, while he himself 
would bear down upon the enemy with the Niagara. The flag of the Law- 
rence now came down, amid the cheers of the British sailors, who supposed 
that the American l\cet had struck. Ordering every sail on boai'd the Niag- 
ara to be set, he was not long in closing with the enemy's shi^DS ; and pass- 
ing along their line he poured upon them, in quick succession, tremendous 
broadsides. Having driven the Royal Charlotte out of line, he next at- 
tacked the Detroit, and by the severity of his Mre drove her men from their 
quarters. Captain Elliott now came up with the smaller vessels, and, taking 
a raking position under the stern of the Detx'oit, assisted to complete the 
victory. The slaughter on board this ship was dreadful : twenty -seven of 
her men had been killed and ninety-six wounded. At length a white hand- 
kerchief was hung out on the end of a boarding-pike as a signal of surren- 
der ; the triumph was complete, and all the vessels of the enemy were taken. 
The dead of both fleets were buried on an island in the lake. 

The conduct of Perry was no less distinguished by humanity after the 
action than it had been by skill and bravery while the battle was raging ; 
and the British commander long afterward expressed his grateful recollec- 
tion of the generous courtesy of his youthful conqueror. It is thus that the 
horrors of war are in some degree softened by a display of the kindlier feel- 
ings of our nature. 

This brilliant success gave to the Americans the uncontrolled command 
of the lake, and on the 23d of September their fleet landed twelve hundred 
men near Maiden, Colonel Proctor, however, had previously evacuated 
that post, after setting fire to the fort and to the public store-houses. Com- 
modore Perry in the meantime passed up to Detroit with the Ariel to assist 
in the occupation of that town, while Captain Elliott, with the Lady Pre- 
vost, the Scorpion, and the Tigress, advanced into Lake St. Clair to inter- 
cept the enemy's stores. 

Thus General Harrison, on his arrival at Detroit and IMalden, found both 
places abandoned by the enemy, and was met by the Canadians asking for 
his protection. Tecumseh proposed to the British commander that they 
should hazard an engagement at Maiden ; but the latter foresaw that he 
should be exposed to the fire of the American fleet ia that jwsition, and 
therefore resolved to march to the IMoraviau towns upon the Thames, 



78 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

near St. Clair Lake, above Detroit, and there try the chance of a battle. 
His force at this time consisted of about nine hundred regular troops and 
fifteen hundred Indians commanded by Tecumseh. The American army 
amounted to two thousand seven hundred men, of whom one hundred and 
twenty were regulars, a considerable number militia, about thirty Indians, 
and the remainder Kentucky riflemen, well mounted, and mainly young 
men, full of ardor, and burning Avith a desire to revenge the massacre of 
their friends and relatives at the river Raisin. 

The American general lost no time in seeking the enemy, whom he found 
drawn up in order of battle and prepared to receive him. On his right, in 
a sAvamp, was posted Tecumseh with his Indian Avarriors, Avhile the space 
between them and the river was occupied by the regular troops. The Amer- 
ican general extended his line to the same length with that of the British 
infantry, his small body of regulars he ordered to seize the enemy's artil- 
lery, and the few friendly Indians were directed to act on his flank. 

It had been determined to penetrate the swamp and turn the right of the 
Indians, as they could not cross the river, and flie infantry were on the point 
of making this movement, when it Avas ascertained that the British Avere 
draAvn up in a double line, and that, to enable them to occupy the Avhole 
space betAveen the SAvamp and the river, they had been obliged to open their 
files. The plan of attack was therefore changed, and Colonel Johnson, Avith 
his mounted Kentuckians, Avas ordered to charge the enemy in front. These 
brave volunteers rushed upon the British column AA-ith such impetuosity 
that, unable to resist the fierceness of the onset, it broke and fled. Cleared 
of the regular force of the enemy, the battle-field noAV exhibited a series of 
personal encounters between the Kentuckians and Indians. Tecumseh, 
being Avounded, it is said, and exasperated to desperation by the flight of 
his allies, resolved to sell his life as dearly as possible. Rushing, therefore, 
into the hottest of the conflict, he soon fell, pierced by a pistol-ball, and 
instantly expired. 

This renowned chief deserves a passing notice. He possessed a noble 
figure, his countenance Avas strikingly expressive of magnanimity, and he 
was distinguished by moral traits far above his race. He Avas not remark- 
able for eloquence, or even for intellect, but he AA'as a Avarrior in the broadest 
Indian sense of the word. Without the far-reaching vicAVS of Pontiac or 
his hereditary rank, still, in sudden action and desperate A'alor, he shoAA'ed 
himself superior to that chief; and, though a ncAV man, he acquired un- 
bounded influence, and placed himself above all competitors as the great 
champion of Indian rights. AVhile his brother, the Prophet, AA'as the prin- 
cipal manager of the confederacy in all that related to its organization and 
plans, he was its executive arm in the field. There Avei'e other peculiarities 
by Avhich he was no less distinguished. Like Pontiac, he manifested a deep 
interest in regard to the manners and customs of the Avhites; he Avould not 
sanction the barbarities practised by the Indians, and he disdained the per- 
sonal adornments in Avhich they so much delight. Although holding the 
rank of a brigadier-general in the British service, he pertinaciously adhered 
to his Indian garb ; a deerskin coat, Avith leggins of the same material, Avas 
his constant dress, and in this he Avas found dead at the battle of the Tliames. 
During the latter years of his life he Avas almost incessantly engaged either 
in the council or at the head of his Avarlike bands, and he sunk at last on 
the field of his glory, Avith tomahaAvk in hand and the cry of battle upon 
his lips. 

"Like monumental bronze, unchanged his look, 
A soul which pity touch'd, but never shook ; 



TRANSITION FROM TERRITORY TO STATE. 79 

Train'd, from his tree-rock'd cradle to his bier, 
The fierce extremes of good and ill to brook; 
Unchanging, fearing but the shame of fear, 
A stoic of the woods, a man without a tear." 

With the death of Tecumseh the confederacy was dissolved, and a peace 
was conchided with the Ottawas, Chippewas, Miamis, and Pottowatamies. 

The American fleet was now employed in removing the ammunition and 
stores from the captured British posts; and on the 18th of October General 
Harrison and Commodore Perry issued a joint proclamation at Detroit for 
the better government of the territory of Michigan, and guarantying to the 
inhabitants their rights of property, and the enjoyment of their ancient 
usages and laws. 

The island of Mackinaw Avas now the only part of the territory remaining 
in the possession of the enemy. This being a post of great importance, from 
its commanding the upper lakes, and being the centre of the fur-trade, a 
fleet under Commodore Sinclair, with a body of land forces under Colonel 
Croghan, the gallant defender of Sandusky, was despatched in July, 1814, 
for the purpose of capturing it. After reconnoitering the coast near the 
island, the commodore proceeded to the neighboring island of St. Joseph, 
where he destroyed a few trading-posts and then returned. 

Meanwhile, the British commandant was actively employed in strength- 
ening his defences, and in summoning to his aid the nearest savage tribes. 
It was at first proposed to attack the post .near the village, as that part was 
the most free from trees, and, consequently, afforded less covert to the In- 
dians. This, however, was objected to by Sinclair, as his fleet would be 
here exposed to the fire of the fort. It was finally concluded to land on the 
northeastern side of the island, although from this point they would be 
obliged to traverse its Avhole breadth, through a dense forest, in order to 
reach the British position. After marching some distance through the 
wilderness, on arriving at a small clearing, the detachment was fired on 
from all sides by the savages stationed in the surrounding woods. Major 
Holmes, at the head of a considerable force, was directed to charge the 
enemy ; but, as he was gallantly executing the order, he was shot down by 
a rifle-ball. The fire, indeed, was so destructive, that the advanced party 
was obliged to retreat to the main body, upon which the whole force retired 
to their bouts, abandoned the enterprise, and returned to Detroit. In con- 
sequence of this failure, the British retained possession of Mackinaw until 
the conclusion of peace. 

The victory of Commodore Perry having secured the command of Lake 
Erie, Proctor's army having been routed, and the Indian confederacy broken 
up, nothing of special interest transpired in Michigan during the remainder 
of the war. Colonel Cass was left with a brigade f )r the protection of the 
territory, which he effectually accomplished, until the treaty of peace, con- 
cluded at Ghent on the 17th of February, 1815, put an end to all farther 
hostilities. 

TRANSITION FROM TERRITORY TO STATE. 

Michigan now emerged into a new existence. Colonel Cass, who had 
served with great credit during the war, was appointed governor of the ter- 
ritory, and under his administration it gradually advanced in prosperity. 

Hitherto there had been but little inducement for immigration from the 
East : tlie public lands had not been brought into the market, and recently 
the country had been suffering under the devastation of war. The beau- 



80 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

tiful oak-openings on the Kalamazoo, the fertile tracts on the borders of 
Grand River, the prairies of the St. Joseph, and the rich and inviting slopes 
along the shores of Lake Michigan, were traversed only by the wild beast 
and the savage, and the streams navigated only by the bark canoe. The 
feeble settlements on the frontier had been converted into scenes of desola- 
tion ; no roads through the interior had been constructed ; and tlwj only 
access to the country by land from the East was through the trackless 
wilderness distinguished by the name of the Black Swamp, and by the mil- 
itary road along the Detroit river. Everything, therefore, was to be done 
to develop the resources of the territory, and to secure to it the advantages 
which, from its position and the fertility of its soil, it was entitled to enjoy. 

It would appear, however, that the character of the country in regard to 
the latter particular was at that time but little understood, as is shown by 
the following fact : In 1812, Congress had passed an act providing for the 
survey of the bounty-lands to be granted for the soldiers enlisting for the 
war which had then just commenced, and this survey was directed to be 
made in the territory of Michigan. The persons employed for this object, 
however, made so unfavorable a report in regard to the soil, representing it 
as marshy and everywhere sterile, that in 1816 the act was repealed, and the 
quantity of land required for this purpose was ordered to be surveyed in 
Arkansas and Illinois. The surveyors either did not make a thorough exam- 
ination of the soil, or, what perhaps is more probable, they were deceived 
by the sandy nature of the oak-lands, which have a yellowish color before 
they are brought into cultivation, but which, from the quantity of lime they 
contain, turn black after they are exposed to the action of the sun and air 
by the plough. 

During that year, however, and the two following, the country was more 
fully explored, and numerous tracts of fertile land, with a rolling surface, 
variegated by groves and lakes, were discovered. These lands were forth- 
with surveyed, and in 1817 and 1818 portions of them were offered for sale, 
showing the superiority of our enlightened and liberal laws, contrasted with 
the narrow policy of the former possessors of the soil. A great change now 
took place in public opinion in regard to the value of these lands, and sub- 
sequent surveys more fully confirmed the inaccuracy of the impressions which 
had hitherto prevailed in relation to them. 

With tlic in<-roduction of steam navigation upon its vast inland seas, a new 
era may be said to have commenced in the history of the progress of the 
West. This was in 1819, when the first steamboat, the Walk-in-the-Water, 
made her appearance on Lake Erie, crossing that lake and passing up to 
Mackinaw. 

By the census taken about that time, the population of Michigan was 
ascertained to be eight thousand eight hundred and ninety-six. Detroit 
contained two hundred and fifty houses, and fourteen hundred and fifteen 
inhabitants, independent of the garrison. The island of Mackinaw, which 
continued to be a central mart for the fur-trade, had a stationary popula- 
tion of four hundred and fifty, which. Avas at times increased to not less than 
two thousand by the Indians and traders who resorted there from the upper 
lakes. The settlement at the Saute de Ste. Marie contained only fifteen or 
twenty houses, occupied by French and P^nglish families. 

Although, by the ordinance of 1787, lot number 16 was directed to be 
reserved in every township for the support of common schools, no measures 
had yet been taken to introduce a system of public instruction, if we except 
the act passed by the governor and judges in 1817 for the establishment of 
what was styled in it the Catholepesiemiad, or University of Michigan. This 



TRANSITION FROM TERRITORY TO STATE. 81 

act, which was drawn up by Augustus B. "Woodward, Chief Justice of the 
Territory, is a very curious document. He was a gentleman possessing ex- 
teiLsive acquirements, but was not a little eccentric in his character, and the 
views he entertained on this and some other subjects were certainly not very 
practical. The phraseology of the act is not its least singular feature, and 
would seem better suited to the age of my Lord Coke than to the under- 
standing and condition of a race of new settlers engaged in clearing away 
the forest. This university was to have thirteen dlduxia or jjrofc'j^sursliips, 
each of which was to be liberally endowed, and it was designed to lay bruad 
and deep the foundations for a thorough education. 

Indeed, all Judge Woodward's projects seem to have been upon no' very 
moderate scale. Detroit is indebted to him for a plan of the city laid out 
in the form of a cobweb, with public squares, a circus, a Campus Martins, 
streets, cross-streets, avenues, &c., more vast in its conception and more 
complex in its design than ancient Rome, and requiring a longer period to 
fill it up than from the time of Romulus to our own day. The utilitarian 
tendencies of his successors, however, have made strange havoc with this 
magnificent plan, the traces of which are now noAvhere visible but on the 
map. 

On the admission of Illinois into the Union in 1818 all the territory lying 
north of that State and Indiana was annexed to Michigan; and the follow- 
ing year Congress passed an act authorizing the election of a delegate from 
the Territory to the National Legislature, who should have the right of 
sjieaking, but not of voting. This was of great advantage to the inhabitants, 
as they were thereby provided with a representative through whom they 
could make known their wants to the General Government. 

Michigan, meanwhile, gradually continued to advance in population. 
The settlers extended themselves along the banks of the rivers Raisin, Hu- 
ron, and St. Clair, and cleared away the forest from the spots where now 
stand the villages of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Pontiac, Jackson, and Tecum- 
seh. 

That portion of the Territory, however, situated upon the borders of the 
upper lakes was then but little known ; and in 1820 an expedition was set 
on foot for the purpose of exploring it, to ascertain the number and condi- 
tion of the Indian tribes in that quarter, and to select such positions as 
might be most favorable for its defence. This exjjedition, which was under 
the direction of Governor Cass, was accompanied by a mineralogist, a topo- 
graphical engineer, and a physician ; was provided with an escort of sol- 
diers, and the commanding officers of the posts along the lakes were ordered 
to ati(>rd it every facility in their power. The i)arty started from Detroit 
on the 24th of May in bark canoes manned by voyagev.rs and Indians. 

Passing up the river St. Clair, they proceeded along the shores of Lake 
Huron, vu<ited the island of Mackinaw, then maintained as a trading-post 
by the Northwest Company, and socm arrived at the Saute de Ste. Marie. 

This was considered a favorable point for the establishment of a military 
post. By the treaty of Greenville, concluded in 1795, the Indians had 
agreed that all the lands which they had granted to the French or English 
shcndd be transferred to the Ignited States. This place they had ceded to 
the French, who had formerly maintained a garrison here: it was clear, 
therefore, that it came within the provisions of that treaty. A council was 
therefore called, at which the Indian chiefs attended, dressed in fine broad- 
cloths and decorated with trinkets of British manufacture. The savages 
opposed the occupation, and sought to prevent it by denying all knowledge 
of tlio orig-inal cession ; and when it was fully explained to them they still 
F 



82 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

persisted in withholding their consent, though in less positive terms, sug- 
gesting that their young men might prove unruly and kill the cattle which 
should stray from the post. This being understood as intended for a threat, 
Governor Cass replied that he would give himself no farther trouble to con- 
fer on the subject, but that so sure as the rising sun would set in the west, 
so sure should an American garrison be established at that place, whatever 
might be their decision. 

The chiefs, who appear to have been under British influence, now spent 
several hours in discussion. Some of them were willing that the Americans 
should occupy the post if there were no troops stationed there. At length 
a chief, who held the rank of a brigadier general in the British service, 
seized his war-lance and struck it furiously on the ground, intimating there- 
by that the place would not be given up except to superior force, and the 
council soon afterward dispersed in a hostile spirit. 

The expedition under Governor Cass consisted of sixty-six men, of whom 
thirty were regular soldiers, and the savages numbered about eighty war- 
riors. The latter occupied the site of the old French fort and the Ameri- 
cans were drawn up upon the bank of the river St. Mary, a ravine separat- 
ing the two at a distance of five or six hundred yards. 

While the Americans were waiting to see what would be the issue of the 
afiair, the British flag was hoisted from the midst of the Indian encampment 
by the chief who had shown so hostile a disposition in the council. On dis- 
covering this, Governor Cass ordered his men to stand by their arms, and, 
taking "an interpreter, proceeded directly to the Indian camp. Here he 
indignantly tore down the obnoxious flag, telling the chief who had hoisted 
it that it was an insult of the grossest kind ; that the flag was the emblem 
of national sovereignty ; that the ensigns of two different nations could never 
float on the same soil ; that they would not be permitted to raise any other 
than that of the United States ; and that if they attempted it again that 
Power would set a strong foot upon their necks and crush them to the earth. 
When he had said this the governor returned to his encami)ment, and a few 
minutes after he arrived there the Indian women and children were seen 
quitting their lodges and getting on board their canoes. No act of hostility, 
however, was committed ; and some of the older chiefs, who had not been 
present at the council, came forward and made overtures of peace. At seven 
o'clock the same evening a treaty was concluded with them, by which they 
ceded to the United States a tract of four miles square around the Saute, 
including the portage, the site of the old French fort, and the village, re- 
serving to themselves the right of fishing at the falls and of encamping upon 
the shores. The calumet was smoked, and blankets, knives, silver trinkets, 
and broadcloths w^ere distributed among them. 

Everything having been settled, the expedition started again, and pro- 
ceeded along the shores of Lake Superior. Here they were struck with the 
appearance of the Pictured Rocks, which extend for miles along the shores 
of the lake, stained with a variety of hues by the washing of mineral waters, 
and which exhibit to the delighted beholder the most singular scene ima- 
ginable of Nature's painting. They visited also the Doric Kock, which pre- 
sents the appearance of a rude though magnificent piece of architecture 
chiselled from the solid .stone, and examined other curiosities on this part 
of the coast. The Copper Rock, at the mouth of the Outonogon river, which 
has from time innneniorial been the subject of Indian superstition in this 
wild, se(iucstered ri-gion they found particularly worthy of notice. 

Having completed its survey, the expedition returned to Detroit by the 
way of Lake Michigan. The results were a more accurate knowledge of 



TRANSITION FROM TERRITORY TO STATE. 83 

the geography of the country and of tlie operations of the Northwest Fur 
Company, the selection of sites for a line of military j)osts, and several im- 
portant treaties with the Indian tribes, ceding valuable tracts of land to the 
United States. Mr. Henry K. Schoolcraft, who accompanied the expedi- 
tion, afterward published his journal, giving a particular account of the 
C(juntry, and of the incidents which occurred along their route. 

Soon after this an important change took place in the government of the 
territory. In 182o Congress passed an act abrogating the legislative power 
of the governor and judges, and establishing a legislative council, to consist 
of nine members, limiting also the judges' term of office to four years. Two 
years afterward all county officers, excepting those of a judicial character, 
were made elective by the peoi)le ; all executive appointments were required 
to be ap{)roved by the legislative council; and an act was passed empower- 
ing the governor and council to divide the territory into townships, to incor- 
porate the same, and to define their rights and privileges. 

The Erie Canal, which had been commenced in 1817, was in 1825 opened 
for navigation from the Hudson to Buffalo; and this event forms an impor- 
tant epoch in the progress of Michigan. The effect of this great public 
imjirovement on the interests of the West was twofold ; it cheapened the 
foreign merchandise of Avhich it stood in need, and in the same or a still 
gre^iter proportion enhanced the value of its agricultual products. Its lands 
therefore increased in value, new facilities and new motives were offered for 
settlement, and from this period those vast and fertile regions advanced 
rapidly in population and general prosperity. 

To meet the claims of the increasing population of the territory, new 
privileges were granted. In 1827 the legislative council was made elective 
by the people^ with the power of tuiacting laws, subject to the approval of 
Congress and the veto of the local executive; and upon this footing things 
remained until the territory was admitted into the Union. 

Governor Cass, meanwhile was indefatigable in his effJjrts to have roads 
constructed through the interior, and, warned by the experience of the past, 
to provide effectually for the })ublic defence. His whole administration, 
indeed, was characterized by a persevering zeal to promote the prosperity 
of Michigan ; to improve its institutions, and to develop its resmirces. 

A new im])ulse, as we have already remarked, had been giveu to the pro- 
gress of the West. It offered a boundless field for enterprise, and began to 
be considered the proper asylum and retreat for all who would better their 
fortune by indastry. It was emphatically "the poor man's country," where 
his labor was sure to be rewarded by competence, and eventually by wealth. 
Hence population flowed in rajjidly from the East. The hardy settlers, 
scattering over the country, made the woods resound with the stroke of the 
axe ; and everywhere the smoke of their cabins was seen ascending from the 
depths of the forest. The lakes presented a no less animated scene: the 
white wings of commerce were spread out upon their waters, and the cloud 
from the dLstant steamer was seen stretching along the horrizou. The reign 
of Nature in these hitherto silent and secluded .solitudes was at an end, and 
tluit of man. with all its life, and bustle, and activity, had begun. 

In 18;]1, General Cass, having been appointed secretary of war, was suc- 
ceeded l)y ^Ir. George B. Porter in the government of the territory, the 
population of which at this time amounted to about thirty-five thousand. 
During his administration, Wisconsin, which had before been annexed to 
Michigan, was erected into a separate territory. Meantime the commerce 
on Lake Erie was rapidly increasing. A road, which was, to say tbe least, 
passable at some seasons of the year, was constructed across the Black 



84 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Swamp, and numerous avenues were opened into the interior. In conse- 
quence of these improvements, the country became better known, a spirit of 
speculation Avas awakened, and, in addition to the actual settlers, the woods 
were traversed by numbers in search of desiralde tracts, Avhich they pur- 
chased at the Government price, in the expectation of realizing large profits 
from their rapid increase in value. 

The method adopted by the Government in making their surveys is one 
of great accuracy. Two straight lines were drawn across the territory, the 
one running north and south, the other east and west. The north and south 
line was denominated the principal meridian, and the east and west line was 
called the base line. The territory was then divided into townships six 
miles square, and these were subdivided into thii-ty-six sections of a square 
mile each, the toANTiships being numbered in regular order, commencing at 
the meridian and base lines and increasing as they receded from them. The 
mathematical accuracy of this method, and the farther circumstance that 
each section and township, and also the lines of the sections, Avere blazed or 
marked upon the trees, enabled the emigrant, even in the depths of the 
forest, to find clear landmarks to guide his course and to ascertain the ac- 
tual boundaries of each tract. The smallest lot which could be purchased 
was one of eighty acres, or a fractional lot made by a township line or by 
the course of a stream. 

Prior to the year 1820, the established Government price for land was 
two dollars an acre, one-fourth of which was required to be paid at the time 
of purchase, and the remainder in three annual instalments, the land being 
subject to forfeiture if these Avere not punctually paid, Avhile a discount of 
eight per cent. Avas alloAved if the whole amount Avas paid in advance. This 
system, hoAvever, Avas found to be productive of serious evils. The exi^ecta- 
tion of gain induced many to make large purchases, and Avhile some realized 
fortunes, perhaps, from their investments, others, Avho Avere less successful, 
Avere Avithout the means of paying their instalments, and thus the Avhole 
became liable to forfeiture. These results led to a total change of the sys- 
tem. The price of the public lands was reduced from two dollars to one 
dollar and a quarter the acre, the Avhole of Avliich Avas required to l)e paid 
down at the time tlie purchase Avas made. This Avas attended Avith the best 
effects, preventing a A^ast deal of trouble and loss to the Government, dis- 
couraging reckless speculation, and enabling the industrious settler Avith 
moderate means to acquire for himself a clear and unencumbered title to 
his land. 

MeauAvhile, a controversy sprang up which came near terminating in 
serious collision with a neighboring State. By the ordinance of 1787 it Avas 
provided that anyone of the grand divisions Avithin the limits of the North- 
west Territory should be entitled to admission into the Union AvheucA'er its 
population amounted to sixty thousand ; and Michigan having already that 
number of inhabitants, claimed the right thus granted. The controversy 
alluded to Avas in relation to the l)ounchiry-line lictAveen the latter and Ohio, 
as established by the ordinance of 1787. Each government claimed a rich 
and extensive tract as falling Avithin its limits, Avhich Avas made still more 
valuable from the pn)j)osed terminus of the Wabash and Fjvle canal, a Avork 
of great promise, being included Avithiu it. So mucli excitement, indeed, 
prevailed that both parties sent a military force to the disputed fi-ontier. 

The people of Michigan, having called a convention and formed a State 
constitution, petitioned Congress to l)e admitted into the Union, claiming as 
a part of their territory the tract in dispute Avith Ohio. Congress, however, 
decided in favor of the latter State, and assigned to Michigan, in place of 



HISTORY AS A STATE AND PRESENT CONDITION. 35 

the fertile strip along her southern border, about twenty -five thousand square 
miles of barren, mountainous country on the shores of Lake Superior. 

We here conclude our brief account of Michigan as a territory, AVe liave 
seen it in the infancy of its settlement, under the bligliting eifects of feudal 
institutions similar to those existing in Finance at that i)eriod, being then 
little more than a mere ranging-ground for the Jesuit missionary and the 
fur-trader, a waste I'oamed over by the wild beast and the savage, and de- 
signedly kept in this state as a shelter for the fur-bearing animals. We 
have seen the French banner supplanted by the red cross of England with- 
out producing any material change in the condition of the country. And, 
finally, we have seen the stars and stripes of our own Republic planted on 
the soil, and witnessed in the extraordinary hnprovements which have since 
taken place the wonder-working energies of our free institutions. 

HISTORY AS A STATE AND PRESENT CONDITION. 

In the foregoing pages the reader has been presented with a picture of 
INIichigan in her youth ; it now becomes our duty briefly to consider her 
attractions and condition as a prosperous matron. From the time when she 
entered the Union as a State, until she became a distinguished del'cnder of 
the United States against the assaults of the Great liebellion, the story of 
her career is without any peculiar incidents of misfortune or renown. In 
what manner, and with whose help, she defended the nation in its period of 
danger, will be fully set forth by another liand, in the succeeding part of 
this volume, while the present writer will content himself in this and the 
following chapters with a concise com])ilatiou from official documents of the 
civil affairs of the State down to the present time, together with a glance at 
some of its later developments. 

The act of Congress which finally admitted Michigan into the Union with 
her constitution of September, 1835, was approved January 26, 1887, and 
Stevens T. JNIason entered at once upon his duties as the first elective gov- 
ernor. Although a Virginian by birth, he had been six years identified 
with the territory as secretary and acting g(jvernor. He was elected gov- 
ernor of the prospective State, however, in Oct(jber, 1835, and continued in 
that position until January, 1840. The estimated poj)ulation of the State 
in 1837 was about two hundred thousand ; and its area was then estimated 
at forty thousand square miles, which was divided into thirty-six counties. 
From the very start the genius of her people was exemplified by the enact- 
ment of laws, for the building of not less than four railroads, several of 
which, under new names, were destined to be eminently successful. And 
then the special attention of her legislators was turned to the cause of edu- 
cation. An act was passed in March of that year for the organization and 
support of the primary schools, thereby keeping pace with the will of Con- 
gi-ess in setting aside for school purposes one thirty-sixth part of the public 
lauds in the State; and, within the same month, the other important act 
was passed wdiich gave existence to the University of Michigan. It was to 
be located at Ann Arbor, placed in charge of a board of twelve regents, 
originally appointed by the governor, but subsequently elected by the peo- 
})le, with the governor, lieutenant-governor, judges of the Supreme Court, 
and the chancellor of the State, as ex officio members. It was to have three 
departments, one of literature, science, and art ; the second of law, and the 
third of medicine. It was to have not more than twenty-six professorships; 
and its support was to be derived from a grant of seventy sections of land, 
which the superintendent of public instruction, then in office, valued at ucarly 



86 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

nine hundred and twenty-two thousand dollars. Special attention was also 
directed to the mineral resources of the State ; an appropriation of twenty- 
nine thousand dollars made for a geological survey ; and the appointment 
of State geologist was conferred upon Dr. Douglass Houghton, who did more 
than any other man to make known to the world the mineral riches of Mich- 
igan. Nor were the pioneer legislators of the new State unmindful of the 
cause of internal improvement, for they at once passed an act establishing 
a board of seven commissioners for that purpose, of which the governor Avas 
made president, and that board authorized a immber of surveys for rail- 
roads. For the central route, from Detroit to the mouth of the St. Joseph, 
they appropriated four hundred thousand dollars ; for the southern route, 
from Monroe to New Buffalo on Lake Michigan, one hundred thousand 
dollars ; for the northern route, from Black to Grand river, fifty thousand 
dollars; and at the same time legislative acts were also passed incorporating 
the roads between Detroit and Shiawassee, and Gibraltar and Clinton. The 
commendable spirit of enterprise thus manifested by the public authorities 
was seconded by the people at large, as may be seen by glancing at the agri- 
cultural statistics published in 1838. The rye crop, for example, amounted 
to 21,944 bushels ; oats, 1,116,910; buckwheat, 64,022; flax, 43,826 pounds; 
hemp, 524 pounds; neat cattle, 89,610; horses, 14,059; sheep, 22,684; and 
swine, 109,096. When compared with the present, these figures seem almost 
insignificant, and yet they told a "flattering tale," and the absence of any 
allusion to the great staple of wheat will strike the reader as remarkable. 
It was also in 1838 that appropriations were made for the survey of the St. 
Joseph, Kalamazoo, and Grand rivers, with a view to the improvement of 
their navigation. 

In 1839 the militia of the State Avas regularly organized, and eight divi- 
sions, with tAvo brigades of tAA'o regiments each, Avere assigned to the folloAV- 
ing generals : John R. Williams, George Miles, Charles C. Hascall, John 
Stockton, Joseph W. BroAvn, Isaac E. Crary, EdAvin M. Bridges, and Horace 
H. Comstock. Another event of this year Avas the completion of the Peni- 
tentiary at Jackson, which Avas built on the plan of the iiunous prison at 
Auburn, Ncav York : and as to the progress of education throughout the 
State, the ofiicial reports gave the number of nearly thirty thousand pu])ils 
in the common schools, and the amount of money expended during the year 
as more than eighteen thousand dollars. With this year also terminated 
the administration of Governor Mason, Avho, besides having had the honor 
of inaugurating the new State, proved himself to be not only a man of abil- 
ity, but a faithful i'riend of IMichigan. He had emigrated from Virginia to 
the Territory in 1831, Avhen he Avas appointed its secretary, in his nineteenth 
year, and he only lived about three years after retiring from the ofiice of 
governor of the State, to Avhich he Avas twice elected, and Avhich he filled 
Avith credit and ability. 

The second Governor of the State was William Woodbridge, who served 
in that capacity from January, 1840, to February, 1841, when he resigned 
to accept a seat in the United States Senate. His advent to the Territory 
dated as far back as 1814, when he was appouited to the post of secretary; 
after which, in 1819, he was elected a delegate to Congress, made a judge 
of the Supreme Court in 1 828, took an active i)art in the Constitutional Con- 
vention of 1835, and was chosen in 1837 to the State Senate. After leaving 
the executive chair, the then lieutenant-governor, J. Wright Goidon, l)ecame 
the acting governor, and serveil as such for the balance of the term. In 
looking over the records, we find tlie leading events of this joint administra- 
tion to have been as follows: The railroad from Detroit to Ann Arbor, a 



HISTORY AS A STATE AND PRESENT CONDITION. 87 

distance of forty miles, was comi)leted ; and branches of the State Univer- 
sity were established at Detroit, Pontiac, INIonroe, Niles, Kalamazoo, Grand 
Rapids, Jackson, "White Pigeon, and Tecumseh. The ])i)pulati()n of the 
State had now risen to more than two hundred and twelve thousand, and 
the leading towns claimed the following nundiers, viz : Detroit, nine thou- 
sand one hundred and one; Ypsilanti, two thousand four hundred and nine- 
teen; Pontiac, nineteen hundred and four; Marshall, seventeen hundred 
and sixty-three ; and Monroe, seventeen hundred and three. And after 
what manner the State was progressing in material wealth may be gathered 
from the subjoined figures. In 1841 the average price of wheat was seventy 
cents per bushel, and the crop amounted to $2,100,000: corn was sold for 
thirty cents, and amounted to 6810,000 ; oats twenty cents, and the yield 
$800,000 ; hay five dollars per ton, and the amount $750,000 ; pork was 
sold for two cents per pound, and the profit was $900,000 ; the fur-trade 
amounted to $425,000 : the potato crop to 2,051,000 bushels ; whiskey and 
hiirh-wines, $400,000 ; maple sugar, $83,151 ; fish trade, $192,000 ; wool, 
$70,000 ; dairies, $300,000 ; and home-made goods, $100,000. The exports 
i\)V that year amounted to nearly four millions of dollars; and as the result 
of the distribution act of Congress the State became possessed of five hun- 
dred thousand acres of public land, many })ortions of which were selected 
with great care and were to become the foundation of an important revenue. 
Associated with the administration of G(jvernor Gordon was the reorganiza- 
tion of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons, with the constitutional number of 
lodges. Of the early introduction of this oi'der into the Territory of INIichi- 
gan we have no satisfactory data. The Grand Lodge was first organized at 
Detroit June 24, 1826 ; Avas incorporated by the Legislative Council in 1827 ; 
and by a formal resolution, adopted in 1829, masonic labor was sus})ended. 
A general meeting of the Masons of the State was called for inquiry in 1840, 
and in 1841 the former grand officers granted dispensations for several 
lodges. The first grand master under the original organization was General 
Lewis Cass. The Grand Royal Arch Chapter w-as organized in 1848 ; the 
Grand Council of Royal and Select INIasters was organized in 1858 ; and the 
Grand Commandery, Knights Templar, was organizeil January 15, 1857. 

In jS'ovembcr, 1842, commenced the administration of John S. Barry as 
Governor of the State, and he continued in that position until November, 
1845. He was an emigrant from New England, and had been a resident 
of ^Michigan for many years ; and the town in which he settled was Con- 
stantine, where he occupied a high position. During the first year of his 
term he had the satisfaction of seeing the university opened for the reception 
of students, when the charge for tuition was fixed at ninety-four and a half 
dollars per annum, or three hundred and seventy-eight dollars for the full 
course of four years. The Central and Southern Railroads Avere now pro- 
gressing rapidly, the former having been finished to ^larshall, one hundred 
and ten miles, and the latter to Hillsdale, sixty-eight miles. The private 
roads from Toledo to Adrian, and twenty-five miles of that from Detroit to 
pontiac were also completed. The number of pupils rei)orted as attending 
the common schools was nearly fifty-eight thousand, and the school tax for 
the year amounted to fifty-four thousand six hundred and forty dollars. In 
1<'^43 a State land office' was established at Marshall, which was invested 
with the charge and disposition of all the lands belonging to the State, and 
to Digby V. Pall was assigned the duty of conducting the affairs of the 
office. In 1844 the taxable property of the State was found to be$28,554,282, 
the tax being at the rate of two mills on the dollar ; the expenses of the State 
amounted to seventy thousand dollars ; the income from the two railroads 



SS CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

was about three hundred thousand dollars ; the University had now become 
so prosperous that its income was ample to pay the interest on the University 
stock ; and the amount of money which the State was able to loan to the 
several progressing railroads was one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. 
Renewed efforts were noAV made to increase the efficiency of the common 
schools, and those who were acquainted with them were beginning to see 
that the schools of Michigan would be but little behind those of the Eastern 
States. In 1845 the population of the State had nearly reached three hun- 
dred and five thousand, which was a gain in five years of not less than 
ninety-two thousand ; and in his message to the Legislature Governor Barry 
stated that the indebtedness of the State amounted to $4,077,177, while its 
resources reached $4,150,000. 

The successor of Governor Barry was Alpheus Felch, who took the exec- 
utive chair in November, 1845, and continued in it until March 3d, 1847, 
when he resigned to accept a seat in the United States Senate. He emi- 
grated from Maine to Michigan when quite young, and as early as 1836 
became identified with public affliirs, first as a member of the Legislature, 
then as a bank commissioner, as auditor-general of Michigan, and also as a 
judge of the Supreme Court. The leading incidents of his administration 
was the sale to private corporations of the two railroads belonging to the 
State, the Central having brought two millions of dollars and the Southern 
road five hundred thousand dollars. It was in 1846 that the L^niversity 
library was enriched with a choice collection of about five thousand vol- 
umes purchased in Europe ; the exports for that year amounted to S4,( )4T,()< »> ; 
the tonnage of vessels enrolled in the collection district of Detroit was 26,1)28 
tons ; the steam-vessels numbering 8,400 and the sailing vessels 18,527, the 
whole of them giving employment to eighteen thousand seamen. In 1847 
the counties in the State numbered thirty-nine, and the townships four hun- 
dred and thirty-five, of which two hundred and seventy were supplied with 
good libraries, containing in the aggregate thirty-seven thousand volumes. 
Indeed the common schools seem to have prospered beyond all expectations, 
for now the scholars numbered about ninety-eight thousand pupils, and in 
the 2,869 districts were employed twelve hundred male teachers and nearly 
two thousand female teachers. During the unexpired nine months of Gov- 
ernor Felch's term, the Lieutenant Governor, William L. Greenley, per- 
formed the duties of governor. It was while this administration exist- 
ed that the war with INIexico was commenced and terminated ; and in 
answer to the requisition from the War Department JVIichigan furnisliod to 
the cause one regiment of volunteers, commanded by Thomas W. Stockton, 
and one independent company, at a cost of about ten thousand five hun- 
dred dollars. The people were willing to volunteer, but owing to the im- 
perfection of the -militia laws the troops were obtained with some difficulty. 

In November, 1847, Epaphroditus Ransom became the Governor of 
^lichigan, and served out his term of two years to November, 1849. He 
was a New England man, and had served in the Michigan Legislature. It 
was his privilege to sign the bills for establishing the Asylum tor the Insane 
at Flint, and also the Asylum fur the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind at Kalama- 
zoo, both of which institutions were liberally endowed with lands, and each 
of them placed in charge of a board of five trustees. The appropriation in 
1869 for the deaf and dumb and blind amounted to $81,500. On the first 
of ]\Iarch, 1848, the first telegraph line was completed from New York to 
Detroit, and the first despateii transmitted on that day. 

With regard to the agricultural interests of the State, their progress was 
quite unprecedented ; and for the benefit of comparison with previous as 



HISTORY AS A STATE AND PRESENT CONDITION. 89 

well as subsequent years we submit the following figures bearing upon 1849. 
The land reported to be under cultivation at that time amounted to 1,437,460 
acres, and of wheat there were produced 4,739,800 bushels ; other grains 
8,179,767 bushels ; avooI, 1,645,756 pounds ; maple sugar, 1,774,369 pounds ; 
horses, 52,305 ; neat cattle, 210,268 ; swine, 152,541; sheep, 610,534 ; and 
while the flour mills numbered two hundred and twenty-eight, the lumber 
mills amounted to seven hundred and thirty. In 1847 the act was passed 
removing the seat of government from Detroit to Lansing, and temporary 
buildings for the use of the Legislature were at once ei-ected at a cost of 
$12,450. 

In November, 1849, John S. Barry was again and for a third term called 
upon to take charge of the State as its governor. He continue<l in otlice 
until November, 1851. Among the first acts of the Legislature to which he 
appended his name was one for the establishment at Ypsilanti of a Nor- 
mal school, which was endowed with lands and placed in charge of a board 
of education consisting of six persons. But the two great events which 
transpired during his administration Avere, first, the removal of the seat of 
government from Detroit to Lansing, and, secondly, the adoption of the 
present Constitution of the State, an authentic copy of which will be found 
at the conclusion of this volume. As late as 1846 the site of the new capi- 
tal was occupied by only one log-cabin, and it derived its name from one 
of its earliest settlers. It is located on Grand river, in Ingham county, was 
organized as a city in 1859, and, in addition to an important Avater privi- 
lege, it enjoys the advantages of a rich agricultural country which surrounds 
it on every side. Another event of importance which transpired during the 
administration of Governor Barry was that known as the " Great Railroad 
Company Case." A series of lawless acts had been committed on the prop- 
erty of the Michigan Central Railroad Company along the line of their road 
and especially at Leoni and Michigan Centre, in Jackson county ; and, final- 
ly, their depot in Detroit was burnt in 1850 by an infernal machine. Thir- 
ty-seven men were brought to trial in 1851, and of these twelve were con- 
victed. The conspirators were defended by William H. Seward, of New 
York, and the prosecution was conducted by Alexander D. Fraser, of De- 
troit, and the judge who presided on this occasion Avith great ability Avas 
Warner Wing. 

In vicAV of the fact that the commercial advantages of Michigan are quite 
peculiar, and unequalled by any other of the interior States of the Union, 
we may, Avith propriety, at this point, take a glance at her immediate sur- 
roundings. The five great lakes Avith Avhich she is so closely connected 
drain an area of 335,515 square miles, and the navigable Avaters extending 
from Lake Erie doAVUAvard Avill^dmit the passage of vessels not exceeding 
130 feet keel, 26 feet beam, and 10 feet draught. The total traffic of these 
great Avaters in 1851 Avas estimated at 326,000,000, emi)loying 74,000 tons 
of steam and 138,000 tons of sail. In 1839 the twenty -five largest steamers 
on these lakes had an aA^erage of 449 tons burthen, while the average of 
those Avhich flourished in 1851 Avas about 1000 tons. In the former year, 
the first-class steamers took ten days to make the round trip from Bufiiilo 
to Detroit, but in the latter year the swiftfest steamers only required tliree 
days to perform the same trip. The total number of steamers on Lakes 
Erie and Michigan and the straits Avas 140, and the numbers belonging to 
the districts of Detroit 47, MackinaAv 12, and Chicago 4. And in this con- 
nection, the fact is Avorth stating that during the nine years preceding 1851 
the steamboat tonnage of the Mississippi \'alley had only doubled, but that 
during the same period the tonnage of the great lakes more than (juadru- 

F* 



90 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

l^led itself, whereby we obtain an idea of the remarkable increase of the 
lake country, in population, production and trade. 

In IS^ovember, 1851, Robert McClelland became the governor of the State 
and his administration lasted \intil March, 1853, when he resigned to accept 
a seat in the Cabinet of President Pierce as Secretary of the Interior. He 
had become a citizen of Michigan as far back as 1833, and had served not 
only in the State legislature, but also as a Representative in Congress. On 
his retirement, the lieutenant-governor, Andrew Parsons, became the acting 
governor, and continued to act until the close of the term in November, 
1854. Perhaps the most significant fact connected with that year was, that 
the pupils throughout the State who attended the common schools, were not 
less than one hundred and seventy-five thousand, an increase in four years 
of forty-three thousand. Such victories of peace are what Michigan has 
always prided herself upon, and are in perfect harmony with the victories 
of war, in behalf of the Union, upon which she justly prided herself ten 
years afterwards. 

From November, 1854, to November, 1858, the executive chair was filled 
by Kinsley S. Bingham. He emigrated to Michigan in 1833, and, prior to 
his election as governer, he had served with honor both in the State legisla- 
ture and as a Representative in Congress. All the material interests of the 
State progressed with rapidity during his administration, but the most nota- 
ble event of his first official term was the completion of the Ship Canal at 
the falls of St. Mary. In 1852, August 26, an act of Congress was approved 
granting to the State of Michigan seven hundred and fifty thousand acres 
of land, for the purpose of constructing a Ship Canal between Lakes Huron 
and Superior. In 1853, February 5, the legislature of Michigan accepted 
the grant made by Congress, and provided for the appointment of commis- 
sioners to select the donated lands, and to arrange for building the canal, 
A company of enterprising men was formed, and a contract was entered 
into, by which it was agreed that the canal should be finished in two years, 
and the work proceeded. Every article of consumption, machinery, work- 
ing implements and materials, timber for the gates, stone for the locks, as 
well as men and supplies, had to be transported to the site of the canal from 
Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, and other lake ports ; the stone for finishing 
the locks having been brought from INIarblehead near Sandusky City, Ohio, 
and from the Detroit river. The rapids or Savte which had to be surmoun- 
ted have a fall of seventeen feet and are about a mile long. The length of 
the canal is less than one mile, its width one hundred feet, depth twelve 
feet, and it has two locks of solid masonry. The contracting parties had 
many drawbacks to contend with in their operations, a sickly season having 
been one of them, but they persevered, and in May, 1855, the Avork was 
completed, accepted by the commissioners and formally delivered to the 
State authorities. The disbursements on account of constructing the canal 
and selecting the lands, amounted to ^999,802, while the lands which were 
assigned to the company and selected through the agency at Saute Ste. 
Marie, as well as certain fine lands in the upper and lower peninsula, filled 
up to an acre the full measure of the Government grant. In consideration 
of its national character, as a highway between the lower lakes and Lake 
Superior, and in view of the sound character of the work, the <jriginatoi-s 
and builders of this canal deserve the gratitude of tlie country. With re- 
gard to the laws of Michigan, it should be mentioned here that in 1857 two 
volumes containing all the statutes down to date were compiled by Thomas 
M. Cooley, and published in two volumes at Lansing under the authority 
of the State legislature. 



EDUCATION. 91 

The successor of Governor Bingham was Moses Wisner, and his term 
extended from November, 1858, to November, 18G0. He emigrated from 
New York to Michigan in 1839 ; was a hiwyer by profession, and a true 
l^atriotic citizen of the State. Soon after his retirement, the muttcriugs of 
the Great Rebellion began to be heard, and he, together with his two suc- 
cessors, Austin Blair and Henry H. Crapo, each of whcjm was twice elected, 
wei'e so identified with the military operations of the State during the war, 
that we shall leave their services to be considered by our colleague in the 
second part of this volume ; while our own biographical notices of all the ter- 
ritorial and State governors of Michigan will be reserved i'or the concluding 
part of the volume. In the meantime, however, we may in this ])lace intro- 
duce with pro})riety the names of the several governors and administrators, 
under whose jurisdiction Michigan has been placed since the erection of the 
royal government, more than two hundred years ago. Under French rule 
they were Sieur de Mesy, appointed in IGGo ; Sieur de Courcelle, 1065 ; 
Sieur de Frontenac, 1672 ; Sieur de Barre, 1682 ; Sieur Marquis de Nou- 
ville, 1685 ; Sieur de Frontenac, 1689 ; Sieur Chevalier de Callieres, 1699 ; 
IManiuis deVaudreuil, ITOo; jMarquis de Bcauharnais, 1726; Sieur Compte 
de la Gallisonicre, 1749 ; Sieur de la Jonquiere, 1749 ; Marquis du Quesne 
de Menneville, 1752; and Sieur de Vandreuil de Cavagnal, 1755. Under 
English rule the governors were James Murray, 1765; Paulus Emelins 
Irving, 1766; Guy Carleton, 1766; Hector T. Cramahe, 1770; Guy Carle- 
ton, 1774; Frederick Haldemand, 1774 ; Henry Hamilton, 1774; Henry 
Hope, 1775; Lord Dorchester, 1776; Alured Clarke, 1791 ; and Lord Dor- 
chester, 1798. The American governors, by appointment and election, have 
been William Hull, 1805 ; Lewis Cass, 1814 ; George B. Porter, 1832 ; Ste- 
vens T.Mason, 1834; John S.Horner, 1835; Stevens T. Mason, 1836; 
William Woodbridge, 1840; J.Wright Gordon, 1841; John S. Barry, 1842; 
Ali)lieus Felch, 1845; Epaphroditus Ransom, 1847; John S. Barry, 1849; 
Robert jMcClellan, 1851 ; Andrew Parsons, 1853 ; Kinsley S. Bingham, 
1854 ; Moses Wisner, 1858 ; Austin Blair, 1861 ; Henry H. Crapo, 1865 ; 
and Henry P. Baldwin, 1869. And for purposes of reference, we also 
insert at this point the progress of population for the half-century preceding 
the vear 1860 ; as follows :— Population in 1810, 4,762 ; 1820, 8',765 ; 1830, 
31,639 ; 1840, 212,267 ; 1850, 397,654 ; and 1860, 749,113. At our present 
writing the result of the current census, for 1870, is not oflicially known ; 
but should the last decade be equal to that which preceded it, the popula- 
tion of IMichigan might be set down at about fourteen hundred thousand. 

Having thus taken a brief chronological view of the leading events in the 
history of Michigan as a State, we now i)ropose to lay before the reader 
a more comprehensive account of her condition at the close of Governor 
Crape's administration, with some particulars of a later date, and what we 
projiose to submit shall be arranged under the several heads of Education, 
Agriculture, Mineral Wealth, Railroads, Lumbering Interest, Fisheries, 
Commerce, The Indians and Antiquities of the State, and Recent Develop- 
ments. 

EDUCATION. 

Among the very first laws enacted by the Legislature of INIichigan after 
its organization as a State was one for the establishment of the State Uni- 
versity, founded on the act of Congress of 1826, which appropriated two 
entire townshii)S of wild land for the special purpose. That action on the 
part of its original legislators, suggested by a clause in the constitution 



92 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

enjoining upon the legislature the "encouragement of learning and the gen- 
eral diffusion of knowledge among the jDeople," was highly creditable to 
their intelligence, and was the key-note to the subsequent prosperity of the 
State. A prime mover in this enterprise was the Rev. John D. Pierce, the 
first superintendent of public instruction ; and among the professors first 
chosen were Asa Gray and Douglass Houghton, the first as professor of 
botany and zoology, and the second of geology and mineralogy. By care- 
ful and judicious management the University has progressed so rapidly that 
it is now awarded a prominent place among American institutions, and in 
foreign countries the mother State is more Avidely known through the fame 
of her University than through any other means. In July, 1868, Mr. Pierce 
read a paper before the association of county superintendents, at Marshall, 
in which he recounted the interesting history of the University, and from 
which we make the following extract : 

" It was reserved to IMichigan to rear up, within thirty years from its 
inception and the location of its site, an institution rivaling, not only Yale 
and Harvard, but outstripping them both. This now is universally acknowl- 
edged. Men from the oldest institutions in the United States concede the 
great fact. The best authorities say that the University of Michigan is a 
marvel. Thirty years ago the land — the forty acres that it now occupies — 
was an unfurrowed plain, whose soil the plough had never chafed, never 
disturbed — where, but as yesterday, the deer roamed free as air, the wolf 
howled, and the Indian pitched for the night and kindled his camp-fires. 
You will find in all the history of the past nothing to compare with it in the 
rapidity of its development and growth." 

It was not until 1850 that the University had any recognized head. In 
1842 it had four professors; in 1850 the medical department was organized; 
in 1859 the law department; and in 1860 the professorships numbered twenty- 
eight and the students six hundred. The total disbursements from 1837 to 
1851 amounted to $286,928 ; but since that time the receipts and expendi- 
tures have greatly increased. For five years preceding 1868 the number 
of students averaged more than one thousand, and in the latter year the 
receipts amounted to $62,772.82, derived from the following sources ; inter- 
est from the University fund, $37,086.22, and from students' fees, $25,686. 
The buildings in which it is domiciled are the chief attraction of the beau- 
tiful city of Ann Arbor, are handsome and imposing, commandingly situ- 
ated and surrounded by tastefully laid out grounds, bordered with beautiful 
shade trees. In its organization, the university conforms to the Prussian 
system which is regarded as the most perfect in the world. According to 
the thirtieth report of the board of regents, the names of the professors, 
instructors, and other ofiicers of the institution were at that time as follows, 
the first chancellor or president, elected in 1852, having been Dr. Henry 
Tappan : 

Rev. Erastus O, Haven, D.D., LL.D., President of the Univei-sity, and 
Professor of Logic and Political p]conomy ; salary $2,000. 

Rev. George P. Williams, LL.D., Professor of Physics; salary $1,500. 

Abram Sager, INI.A., INI.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Diseases of Wo- 
men and Children; salary $1,000. 

Silas II. Douglass, j\I.A., IM.D., Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy, 
Pharmacy and Toxicology ; salary $1,500. 

James *R. Boise, LL.D.", Professor of the Greek Language and Literature; 
salary $1,500. 

Alonzo B. Palmer, ]\I.A., M.D., Professor of Pathology, the Practice of 
Medicine, and of Hygiene ; salary $1,500. 



EDUCATION. 93 

Alexander Winchell, LL.D., Professor of Geology, Zoolog}', and Botany; 
salary 81,500. 

Corydon L. Ford, ]M.A., ]\I.D., Professor of Anatomy and Physiology ; 
salary $1,000. 

Henry S. Frieze, M.A., Professor of the Latin Language and Literature; 
salary $1,500. 

Do Volson Wood, C. E. M. A., Professor of Civil Engineering ; salary 
$1,500. 

Hon. James V. Campbell, LL.D., Marshal Professor of Law ; salary 
$1,000. 

Hon. Charles I. Walker, Kent Professor of Law; salary $1,000. 

Hon. Thomas M. Cooley, Jay Professor of Law; salary $1,000. 

James C. Watson, M.A., Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Ob- 
servatory ; salary $1,500. 

Samuel G. Armor, INI.A., ]M.D., Professor of Institutes of IMcdicine and 
Materia Medica; salary $1,000. 

Edward P. Evans, Ph. D., Professor of JModern Languages and Litera- 
ture ; salary $1,500. 

Rev. Lucius D. Chapin, M.A., Professor of Moral and Intellectual Phi- 
losophy; salary $1,500. 

Edward Olncy, M.A., Professor of Mathematics ; salary $1,500. 

Rev. Andrew Ten Brook, JM.A., Librarian ; salary $1,500. 

Ashley Pond, M.A., Fletcher Professor of Law ; salary $1,000. 

William W. Greene, M.D., Professor of Civil and Military Surgery; sal- 
ary $1,000^ 

Adam K. Spence, INI.A., Professor of the French Language and Litera- 
ture ; salary $1,500. 

Charles K. Adams, M.A., Professor of History ; salary $1,500. 

Moses C. Tyler, M.A., Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature ; sal- 
ary $1,500. 

Allen J. Curtis, M.A., Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and English Liter- 
ature ; salary $1,500. 

Albert B. Prescott, INI.D., Assistant Professor of Civimistry and Lecturer 
on Organic Chemistry and Metallurgy; salary $1,000. 

George B. Merriman, M.A., Assistant Professor of Mathematics ; salary 
$1,000. 

Stillman W. Robinson, C. E., Assistant Professor of Mining, Engineering, 
and Geodery ; salary $1,000. 

Martin L. D'Ooge, M.A., Assistant Professor of the Ancient Languages ; 
salary $1,000. 

Henry S. Cheever, ]\I.A., ]\I.D., Demonstrator of Anatomy and Curator 
of the Medical Museum ; salary $500. 

Geo. E. Frothinghani, M.D., Prosector of Surgery and Assistant Demon- 
strator of Anatomy ; salary $500. 

John II. Burleson, Secretary and Stewart; salary $1,000. 

Hon. D. Mclntyre, Treasurer ; . 

Preston B. Rose, M.D., Assistant in Chemistry ; salary $300. 

Albert E. Foote, M.D., Assistant in Chemistry ; salary $250. 

William J. Cocker, Assistant in General Library ; salary $4()0. 

Silas H. Douglass, M.A., M.D., Dean and Secretary of Medical Faculty ; 
salary $200. 

William C. Durkee, LL.B., Law Librarian ; salary $110. 

AV. J. English, Keeper of the Museum; salary $150. 

John Carrington, Janitor ; salary $400. 



94 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Gregory Naglee, Janitor ; salary S400. 

James bttley, Janitor ; salary 6400. 

Robert HoAvard, Janitor ; salary S400. 

Although some changes have taken place in this list it is given in full for 
future reference. 

The whole number of professors in 1869 was thirty-six and the students 
in attendance during that year numbered twelve hundred and twenty-three, 
of whom 418 were in the department of science, literature, and arts; 418 in 
the department of medicine and surgery, and 387 in the department of law. 
The total number of graduates was three hundred and five, a larger num- 
ber than were ever before graduated ; of whom eighty were doctors of medi- 
cine, one hundred and fifty-two bachelors of law, and seventeen mining and 
civil engineers. The receijits from various sources for the year amounted to 
aliout seventy-seven thousand dollars, the whole of which was expended. 
The University, in view of its vital and intimate connection with the general 
school system of the State, has aimed to lay a foundation sufficiently broad 
to satisfy all just demands. It has laid out the work of the department of 
science, literature, and arts in six parallel courses of study, not taking any 
other American or foreign college for its model, but endeavoring to meet 
the exact and just demands of the school system of the State. By an act 
of the Legislature, passed in 1855, it was provided that there shall always 
be at least one professor of homoeopathy in the University, and yet the board 
of regents from that time to 1868, notwithstanding the numerous changes in 
its membership, had never appointed a professor with that title. In 1867 
the Legislature granted further aid to the University on condition that the 
law should be executed ; and with this law before tliem the regents deter- 
mined to appoint such a professor, but made it incumbent upon him to lec- 
ture in some place outside of Ann Arbor. It was thought this would be a 
compliance with the law, and prevent any unhappy conflicts in the regular 
medical school. The Supreme Court of the State decided against this ac- 
tion, and so the gift of the Legislature was not available. At this point of 
the controversy the President of the University, E. O. Haven, discussed the 
question at issue in a calm and judicious manner, taking the ground that 
no partisan professorships of any kind or name should be established, and, 
after making an earnest appeal to the Legislature to reverse their action, 
concluded by saying that the Regents ought to respect the will of the people, 
and must in the end accept the aid tendered by the State on the conditions 
insisted upon. Another subject of vital interest to the cause of education, 
which has created a diversity of opinion in INIichigan, is the admission of 
wcmien to the University. In 1867 the Legislature adopted a resolution to 
the effect that the high objects for which the University was organized will 
never be fully attained until women are admitted to all its rights and privi- 
leges. The Presid(;nt then in office noticed this subject in his annual report, 
and set forth his objections to the demand made, and recommended that no 
change at that time should be made in the policy of the University ; but the 
Prosidont subsequently gave it as his opinion that the best method for Mich- 
igan would be to make provision for the instruction of women at the L^ni- 
versity on the same conditions as men. He came to this conclusion slowly. 
" A few objections," he argued, " have sometimes seemed to me strong, but 
the most of what is urged against it is fanciful and ])artakes of the nature 
of the thoughtless opposition made to what is new. The standard of educa- 
tion would not be changed. The habits of study would not be affected. 
The honor of the University would rather be increased than diminished. It 
does not injure the young men of the Sorbonue in Paris that ladies also can 



EDUCATION. 95 

listen to the lectures. The demand that women woidd enjoy the .same ad- 
vantages as men grows out of Christian civilization, and if difficulties arise 
we must not shrink from them, but overcome them, llesponsibility makes 
strength." But, notwithstanding the President's argument and the existing 
law, the question is still in abeyance. 

With regard to the museum attached to the University, all are agreed in 
pronouncing it interesting and valuable. The natural history collection 
embraces six thousand European minerals, jjurchased of the late Baron 
Ledever; a large collection of minerals irom Lake Superior, the fruit of 
geological surveys and expeditions, and of the liberality of Professors Hough- 
ton and AVinchell; also a very large zoological collection, consisting of 
birds which visit Michigan, with most of the nuimmals of the State; nearly 
a complete series of the reptiles found east (jf the Kocky ^lountains ; two 
thousand species of molusca, embracing all the land and fresh-water forms 
of the Northern and Western States ; a considerable collection of fishes and 
radiata ; the Winchell collection of land and fresh-water shells, from all 
parts of the State and from Jamaica ; two thousand specimens of insects ; 
the Trowbridge collection of animals from the Pacific coast ; and more than 
two thousand species illustrative of the flora of the State. To all of which 
collections important additions are annually made. 

That part of ihe museum connected with the medical department has 
been selected and prepared with direct reference to teaching. Besides con- 
taining a number of adult skeletons, art;iculated and separate, of the most 
perfect description, there are prepai-ations illustrating the various stages of 
development and change, from the first rudiments of fo3tal life to extreme 
old age ; and a variety of partial or complete skeletons of inferior aniumls, 
to exhibit the various modifications. It contains, likewise, beautifully pre- 
pared skulls and teeth, to illustrate first and second dentition, and othei-s 
showing many of the diseases to which they are subject. Various arterial 
preparations, complete and partial, aflbrd good facilities for studying the 
vascular system. Several hundred alcoholic preparations of healthy aud 
diseased structures — hunum and comparative — furnish important aid in 
illustrating physiology and pathology; while models in ])laster and papier- 
mache, with n valuable collectionof plates, splints, aud surgical instruments, 
meet the wants of the more practical branches. An important addition to 
these means of illustration has recently been nuide by an importation from 
Europe, of great beauty and value ; among which are a collection of bones 
of the head, disarticulated and mounted, aud an extended collection of wax 
models, illustrative of various anatomical and pathological conditions, in- 
cluding representations of the anatomy of the pelvis and its contents, of 
several varieties of hernia, of specimens of small-pox and the vaccine disease, 
and of a large number of cases in ophthalmic surgery, etc. The department 
of the museum illustrative of materia medica consists of a very complete 
suite of crude organic medicinal substances, embracing between five and 
six hundred specimens imported from Paris, put up in beautiful glass-cov- 
ered half-gallon jars of uniform appearance, finely dis])Iayed, arranged 
according to their order in natural history, and labeled in both French and 
English ; besides about one thousand other s])ecimens of simple mineral and 
vegetable substances and pharmaceutical and officinal preparations, active 
principles, etc., arranged in groups convenient for study; and altogether 
comprising a collection which, in amount, variety, and adaptness to the pur- 
poses of instruction, it is confidently believed is not equaled by any of a 
similar character even in the older institutions in this country. Besides 
these actual specimens, medical botany is illustrated by between one and tw(j 



96 ' CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

hundred large and finely-colored plates, framed and glazed, and displayed 
for observation. A full suite of instruments used in diseases of females is 
deposited in the museum, ilhistrating the surgical processes required in this 
class of cases ; and the magnificent portraits of cutaneous diseases, by Dr. 
Erasmus Wilson, and the no less useful collection by Dr. Robert Willis, 
illustrate very fully this department of Pathology. 

The collection in that i)art of the museum devoted to the fine arts and 
history was commenced in the year 1855 by Professor Frieze, and at 
present comprises — 1. A gallery of casts, in full size and in reduction, of 
the most valuable ancient statues and busts. These were mainly executed 
at the imperial modeling establishment of the Louvre, by Desachy, of 
Paris, and by the brothers Micheli, of Berlin. 2. A gallery of more than 
two hundred reductions and models, in terra cotta, and other materials. 
These represent the principal statues, portrait busts, vases, and other 
antiquities in the Museo Borbonico, and other European museums. They 
were executed at Naples. 3. A gallery of engravings and photographic 
views, executed in Italy and Greece, illustrating especially the architectural 
and sculptural remains of ancient Rome, Pompeii, Paestum, Athens, and 
Corinth. 4. The Horace AVhite collection of historical medallions, com- 
prising, first, four hundred and fifty casts from antique gems in the Royal 
Museum at Berlin, illustrative of ancient history ; second,over five hundre^l 
casts illustrative of mediaeval history and of the Renaissance period ; third, 
about four hundred medallion portraits of leading personages in modern 
history. These portraits were derived from authentic sources, and reduced 
with fidelity, and the whole w^ere cast by Eichler, of Berlin. Not included 
with the above are several busts and reliefs, copied from Thorwaldseu, 
Canova, Powers, and others, and also a copy of the Laocoon, presented by 
the class of 1859. 

From the foregoing particulars it will be seen that the University meets 
the wants of the people in all the higher degrees of education. Having 
been endowed by the General Government, it now afibrds education almost 
without money and without price. There is no young man so poor that 
industry, diligence, and perseverance will not enable liim to obtain an edu- 
cation. While the sons of the rich are educated here, a considerable 
number of those who are not rich are enjoying the same advantages. 
Many young men, accustomed to work on the farm, or in the shop of 
the mechanic, have been smitten with the love of knowledge, and are man- 
fully working their way through a liberal education, by a[)pn)priating a 
part of their time to the field or the workshop ; and thus it is that the 
institution is proving itself a blessing to the people at large. The exjiendi- 
tures in its behalf fi)r 18()}) liave already been stated. We may also add that 
there is connected with this University a well-conducted observatory ; and 
that in 18G8, during the months of eTuly, August, September, and October, 
Professor James C Watson discovered six new asteriods, which is the 
largest number ever discovered by one man in the same period of time. Be- 
sides its noble University, it is to the credit of Michigan that she is the 
supporting mother by her infiuence of not less than seven or eight distinct 
colleges, as well as a Normal school, a Reform school, and her Common 
schools, which we will now proceed to describe: 

The first to be mcntionetl is Adrian College, located in the town whose 
name it bears. It was incorporated March 23, 1851), and its first term for 
instruction commenced Deceml)er 1, 1859. It was ibrmerly under the 
immediate patronage and direction of the Wesleyan Methodist denomina- 
tion, but was transferred to the Methodist Church in 1867, and is based 



EDUCATION. 97 

upon a liberal policy, and embraces in its board of trustees, which is self- 
perpetuating, and in its faculty, members chosen for their educational 
interest and power, from other religious denominations. Its departments of 
instruction are open to both sexes, and include thorough classical and 
scientific courses, to which there is joined instruction in commercial studies 
and the arts of teaching, painting, and music. Its buildings, numbering 
four, three stories high, are all handsome and spacious, and have been 
erected and furnished at a cost of not less than two hundred thousand dol- 
lars. It also has an endowment fund of one hundred thousand dollars ; 
and it is the only college formally recognized by the General Conference 
of the Methodist Church in the United States. Its faculty in 18G8 was as 
follows : 

Rev. A. Mahan, D.D., President, and Professor of Mental and INIoral 
Science. 

Rev. G. B. McElroy, A.M., Professor of IMathematics and Astronomy. 
Rev. I. W. McKeever, A.INI., Professor of Natural Philosophy and Nat- 
ral History. 

A. II. Lowrie, A.M., Professor of History and Political Economy, and 
Principal of the Preparatory Department. 

I. W. Cassell, A.B., Professor of the Latin and Greek Languages. 
(Unfilled,) Professor of Chemistry and Geology. 
Miss Ada A. Alvord, A.B., Principal of the Ladies' Department. 
J. M. Thompson, Professor of Vocal and Instrumental Music. 
Miss Sallie E. Rose, Assistant Teachei- of Music. 
Miss Alice Van Slyke, Teacher of Painting. 
Augustus F. Bruske, Teacher of German, 

In the village of Albion is located another college belonging to the 
Methodist Episcopal denomination. In 1835 this institute was located at 
Spring Arbor, under the name of the Wesleyan Seminary ; but in April, 
1839, it Avas removed to Albion, and in the following year a collegiate de- 
partment was added for women, with the power of conferring degrees upon 
such persons pursuing a scientific and classical course of instruction. In 
1860 the institution was incorporated, with full college powers, and adopted 
a higher grade of studies. The institution is under the patronage of the 
Michigan and Detroit Annual Conferences of tlie Metliodist Episcopal 
Church. They elect the board of trustees. Tlfb ofiicei-s of the Board are : 
James W. Sheldon, Esq., Albion, President ; Rev. William H. Brockway, 
Albion, First Vice President ; S. W. Walker, Esq., Detroit, Second Vice 
President ; George B. Joycelyn, Albion, Secretary ; Rev. A. M. Fitch, 
Albion, Treasurer ; and Rev. M. A. Dougherty, Financial Agent. 
The board of instruction is as follows : 

George B. Joycelyn, President, and Professor of iMental and INIoral 
Science. 

Rev. W. H. Perrine, A.M., Professor of Natural Science and Fine 
Arts. 

William II. Shelley, A.M., Professor of Latin Language and Litera- 
ture. 

Rev. John McEldowney, A.^M., D.D., Professor of Greek Language and 
Literature. 

Miss Rachel Carney, M.S., Preceptress, and Professor of Modern Lan- 
guages. 

Miss Sallie A. Rullison, B.S., Professor of Mathematics. 
Miss Kate A. Joycelyn, Teacher of Instrumental Music. 
Henry C. Northrup, Teacher of Phonography. 
G 



98 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Fay C. Pierson and William Harper, Assistant Teachers in Prejoaratory 
Department. 

Mrs. Maria H. Cushman, Stewardess. 

The endowment fund amounts to ninety thousand dollars ; the number 
of pupils for 1868 was three hundred and fifty ; but the buildings, which 
are handsome, will accommodate five hundred i:)upils. 

The next institution that we notice is Kalamazoo College. It embraces 
several departments, each, to a considerable extent, distinct from the others, 
and is, properly speaking, a university. It embraces a college proper, de- 
signed to furnish instruction to young men in a four years' course of study 
similar to that adopted in the best institutions of other States. It also em- 
braces a female department, with a four years' course, including all the 
higher branches usually taught in colleges of this class. Also a prepara- 
tory department, open to the youth of both sexes who wish to fit themselves 
for a college course, or to pursue English or classical studies to only a lim- 
ited extent. A commercial department, Avith a thorough, practical, and 
comprehensive course of study, designed to fit the student for any situation 
of commercial or business life. Lastly, there is a normal department where 
students are instructed by the regular college professoi-s and teachers pro- 
vided for that purpose, in the theory and practice of the profession. 

This college was chartered in 1833, and is consequently the oldest lite- 
rary institution in the State. The first building erected was burned in 1844. 
The present main building — male department — situated on "Mt. Carmel," 
in the western part of the village, was erected in 1848, and is 104 by 46 feet, 
and four stories high. The Ladies' College, a beautiful architectural struc- 
ture, situated on South street, was erected in 1858, and is truly an orna- 
ment to the State. The location of the Kalamazoo College leaves nothing 
to be desired, it being in one of the healthiest and most beautiful situations 
in the country. 

The members of the faculty in 1868 were as follows: 

Kendall Brooks, D.D., President and Professor of Mathematics. 

Silas Bailey, D.D., Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy. 

H. L. Wayland, A.M., Professor of Rhetoric and Logic, and^Iustructor 
in Greek. 

J. A. Clark, A.M., Professor of Latin. 

Miss H. P. Dodge, Prin^pal of the Female College, and Professor of 
English Literature. 

Mrs. Martha L. Osborne, Professor of Modern Languages. 

Miss M. H. Blakeslee, Instructor in Music. 

Miss E. D. Wood, Instructor in Drawing and Painting. 

With regard to the institution called Olivet College, and located in that 
village, we gather from official sources the following particulars : This col- 
lege is under the fostering care of the Presbyterians and Congregationalists, 
and its resources amount to one hundred and eighty-two thousand dollars. 
The faculty in 1868 was as follows : 

Rev. Nathan J. JMorrison, D.D., President, and Drury Professor of Moral 
Philosophy. 

Rev. Oramel Hosford, A.M., Professor of Mathematics and Natural Phi- 
losophy. 

Rev. John M. Barrows, A.M., Professor of Botany and Geology. 

R. C. Kcdzie, A.M., M.D., Lecturer on Chemistry and Anatomy. 

John H, Hewitt, A.M., Rutan Professor of the Latin Language and Lit- 
erature. 

Joseph L. Daniels, A.M., Professor of the Greek Language and Literature. 



EDUCATION. 99 

Alexander B. Brown, A.B., Professor of Vocal and Instrumental Music. 

Rev. H. O. Ladd, A.M., Instructor in Rhetoric and Mental Science. 

Merritt Moore, Principal of the Preparatory Department and Instructor 
in Mathematics. 

Edward S. Elmer, A.B., Instructor in the Ancient Languages. 

Miss Henrietta P. Dennis, Principal of the Ladies' Department and In- 
structor in French. 

(Unfdled), Instructor in drawing and Painting. 

Miss Anna ]\I. Beuuedict, Assistant Teacher in the Preparatory Depart- 
ment. 

Miss L. A. Willard, Assistant Teacher of the Piano. 

Another flourishing and important institution is favoral^ly known as the 
Michigan Female College. It was founded at Lansing in 1855, and its 
object was to provide for the education of the daughters of the State, al- 
though by a late report we learn that a thousand pupils have been received 
from nine other States. The courses of study are both classical and scien- 
tific. But an institution of greater importance and reputation, also located 
in the vicinity of Lansing, is the State Agricultural College. It is located 
on Cedar river ; and although the act creating it was passed in 1855 it was 
not organized until 1857 ; and it is the first institution of the kind which 
has ever succeeded in this country. The tract of land which it occupies was 
purchased by the State Agricultural Society, (whose annual reports arc val- 
uable and interesting,) and contains six hundred and seventy-seven acres of 
choice land. Its object is to give to studeiits a thorough practical and theoret- 
ical education, to fit them for the occupation of farming. It is well supplied 
with all the appliances for such an institution, and its herbarium is one of 
the largest in this country, numbering more than twenty thousand speci- 
mens. Students residing in Michigan are admitted free, while those from 
other States are charged only twenty dollars per annum for instruction. 
The students are obliged to perform farm labor three hours every day, and 
are paid for their earnings. It has been endowed by the General Govern- 
ment with a gift of public lands, which have been placed in the market for 
the benefit of the college; and in 1857 the faculty was: President and Di- 
rector of the Farm, Joseph R. Williams ; Professor of Mathematics, Calvin 
Tracy ; Professor of Chemistry, Lewis R. Fisk ; Professor of Physiology and 
Entomology, Henry Goadby ; Professor of Natural Science, D. P. Mayhew ; 
Professor of Farm Economy and Secretary, Robert D. Weeks ; and Pro- 
fessor of Horticulture and Treasurer, John C. Holmes. 

We now come to speak of Hillsdale College, which is located in the beau- 
tiful town whose name it bears, and which is under the jurisdiction of the 
Free-will Baptist Church. Its buildings are spacious and handsome, and 
the institution is quite celebrated. Its faculty is as follows : 

Rev. Edmund B. Fairfield, D.D., LL.D., President. 

Rev. Ransom Dunn, A.M., Burr Professor of Biblical Theology. 

Rev. Henry E. Whipple, A.M., Professor of Rhetoric and Belles Letters. 

Spencer J. Fowler, A.M., Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philos- 
ophy. 

George INIcMillan, A.M., Professor of the Greek and Latin Languages. 

Hiram Collier, A.M., Professor of Natural Science. 

Cyrus Jordan, A.M., Assistant Professor of the Languages. 

INIrs. Julia INI. Jordan, Principal of the Ladies' Department. 

Miss Ellen Smith, A.B., Assistant Principal. 

Eugene Haanel, A.M., Teacher of French and German. 

From colleges to schools the transition is natural, and our first notice in 



100 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

this connection shall be of the State Normal School at Ypsilanti. The act 
creating this institution was passed in 1849, and appropriated for its support 
twenty-five sections of salt spring lands. It was commenced in 1852, boasts 
of a large and handsome edifice, and is intended to prepare teachers of both 
sexes ; and, according to the last report of its principal, the school has gained 
much in the last two years from the co-operation of the county superintend- 
ents of common schools, who are credited with having done much for the 
cause of education. It is conducted at an annual expense generally speak- 
ing of about ten thousand dollars, but the outlay for 1869 was $18,500. 
More extensive than the above is the State Reform School, established at 
Lansing in 1856. It is designed to afford to homeless boys an opportunity 
to escape from the career of crime, which would otherwise await them, in 
such a manner that they may be enabled to gain an honest livelihood. It 
occupies a beautiful building which overlooks the Grand river at Lansing. 
The inmates are chiefly employed in farming and gardening, but a portion 
of them work at various trades, and all the branches of the common school 
are systematically taught. There is a chapel attached to the school, and 
everything is done to reform and elevate its inmates. The cost of carrying 
on the institution amounts to between forty and fifty thousand dollars per 
annum, although the expenditures for 1869 amounted to $56,025. 

We come now to a brief consideration of the educational work accom- 
plished by the public schools of Michigan, and the exhibit made by the Su- 
perintendent of Public Instruction in his annual report for 1868 reflects the 
highest credit upon all who have participated in the important work. The 
total number of school districts is 4,843, and these are located in 778 towns 
and cities and in all of the fifty-nine organized counties of the State. The 
number of children attending school was 249,920 ; male teachers, 2,086 ; 
female teachers, 7,522 ; school-houses, 4,694 ; and their value, $4,285,627. 
The two classes of teachers received respectively $47.78 and $21.92 per 
month, and the total amount paid to them for the year 1868 was $1,038,131 ; 
the total expenditures on account of the schools amounting to $2,449,356. 
The number of books in the district libraries was 86,901 and in the town 
libraries 45,322. For over thirty years, writes the worthy Sujierintcndcnt 
of Public Instruction, Rev. Oramel Horsford, the cause of education in Mich- 
igan has been constantly onward. In 1837 — thirty-one years ago — the ven- 
erable John D. Pierce, first Superintendent of Public Instruction, and still 
an active worker in the cause, reported 14,297 children between five and 
seventeen years of age in the State. Now we report, between five and twenty 
years, 354,704. He then reported $21,375.91 expended for school jwirposes. 
In 1868 the aggregate exceeds two millions. The University fund was then 
about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Now it is $559,978. The 
University reports 1,223 students; the normal school, 262 ; and the local 
colleges nearly two thousand. The total expenditures for education in the 
State during the past year can be hardly less than three millions. 

But we must not, in this conuecticm, forget to mention the purely benevo- 
lent institutions of the State, and first the Michigan Asylum for the Deaf, 
Dumb, and Blind, located in Flint. This institution began operations in 
1854, and has a large number of inmates. To teach the deaf to hear, the 
dumb to speak, and the l)lind to see, would have been deemed a miracle 
but a few years ago, but who that has visited our modern asylums can 
doubt that all this has practically been accomplished by the exertions of 
philanthropic men. 

Through this public beneficence, the unfortunate inmate of the asylum, 
which, by the way, has been re-named, and is called an institution, as in 



EDUCATION. 101 

better keeping with its purpose, is in many respects more fortunate than 
many in less favored lands who enjoy every sense in perfection. He is 
taught to manufacture wagons, paper boxes, etc., to weave mats and car- 
pets, and to manufacture a variety of useful articles. Above all, he is 
enabled to acquire a liberal education, and is thereby placed in a higher 
sphere than those wlio, in years past, looked on him with pity and con- 
tempt. Self-reliant, fully competent to obtain by their own hands an honest 
livelihood, the inmates of this institution go forth into the world. And 
who, but those families possessing an unfortunate member, bereft of the 
sense of speech and hearing, can appreciate the joyful emotions felt by his 
friends when the deaf and dumb pupil is iirst enabled to communicate with 
them in an intelligent manner. 

The asylum is free to all tlie deaf and dumb, and the blind, in Michigan, 
between the ages of ten and thirty years. All are entitled to an education 
without charge for board or tuition. The time for admission is about the 
first of October. 

Thus we see, that in little more than twenty years, Michigan has adopted 
a system of education unexceled in older communities ; nor is the hand of 
progress to cease its zealous efforts. An improvement in the school law is 
now being agitated, by which all children shall be compelled to attend 
school for a certain length of time, unless parents shall adequately provide 
for their education elsewhere. The State imposes a heavy tax on its citi- 
zens for the support of the public schools, and is it not bound to se- 
cure to society the full benefit of these "schools ? The child has a sacred 
and indefeasible right to so much education as society can provide. Society 
embraces all men in its bosom, and its safety and well-being are essential to 
the safety and well-being of all. If there be any parent who interferes with 
the education of liLs child, his views must be sacrificed to the greater inter- 
ests of the multitude. 

With regard to the men who have hitherto held the office of Superin- 
tendent of Public Instruction, and under whose guidance so much good has 
been accomplished, their names are as follows : John D. Pierce, Franklin 
Sawyer, O. C. Comstock, Ira JNIahew, Francis W. Shearman, Ira Mahew 
again, J. M. Gregory, and the present incumbent, Oramel Hosford. 

We come now to speak of the Michigan Asylum fur the Insane. We can 
say that the edifice is spacious and beautiful, and that in its furnishing and 
adaptedness to the purpose for which it was established, it is not one whit 
behind the other institutions of the country in efficiency and high character. 
The number of patients treated in 1867 and 1868 was 373, and the number 
remaining at the commencement of 1869 was 229. According to the latest 
reports for 18G9 the annual exi)en(litures amounted to $63,500, and it has 
capacity for three hundred patients. 

As to the State Prison, its condition has lately been improved, but it is 
not yet a self-sustaining institution. The number of inmates in 1868 was 
622 ; the earnings amounted to $85,238, and disbursements $94,136. We 
regret to say that the usual liberality and wisdom of the State authorities 
have not been manifested in the general management of this institution; 
but we are glad to know that through the iiifiueuce of Governor Baldwin 
there is a fair jjrospect of imi)rovement. Appropriation for its support in 
1869, only $2,000. 

As a fitting paragraph in this chapter we may append the following par- 
ticulars, respecting the number of students reported in the higher institu- 
tions of the State, for the year ending with 1868 : 

University, 1,223 ; Agricultural College (many rejected for want of room,) 



102 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

92 ; Normal School (average attendance,) 223 ; Adrian College (Methodist,) 
242; Albion College (Episcopal Methodist,) 263; Hillsdale College (Free- 
Will Baptist,) 235 ; Kalamazoo College ( Baptist,) 102 ; Hope College (Dutch 
Reform,) 96 ; and Olivet College (Congregational,) 295. 

The following facts are given concerning the primary schools and educa- 
tional funds: 

The average length of the schools during the year 1868 was six and two- 
tenths months. To capitulate : there were employed 2,086 male teachers, 
and 7,522 females, at average wages per month, to the former, $47.78, and 
to the latter, $21.92. To this should be added the board of a large portion 
of the whole number. There were 72 stone school-houses, 416 brick, 3,609 
frame, and 618 of logs ; the whole, including sites, valued at $4,384,081. 
The amount expended on buildings during the year was $805,706. The 
total resources of the schools amounted in all to well nigh three millions ; 
and about three-fourths of this was by the voluntary action of the several 
districts. 

The school fund amounted to $2,550,337, most of which pays 7 per cent. 
It will ultimately reach nearly four millions. The University fund is 
$559,978, and draws 7 per cent. The Normal School fund was $66,697, 
and drew 6 per cent. All parties have at all times sacredly regarded the 
educational fund. Other State funds have been sometimes squandered, and 
sometimes stolen, but rogues have ever left the school funds unharmed, and 
we think w^e can challenge any State to show a better appreciation of pop- 
ular education than has the State of Michigan during its brief but splendid 
career. 

With regard to the Union School system of the State, it has been pro- 
nounced commendable in the highest degree : Two or more districts, accord- 
ing to the law, may vote on the question of uniting for a Union School Dis- 
trict ; those that give a two-thirds vote majority in favor of it may unite if 
the whole number of scholars is two hundred. Immediately after the vote is 
taken the several district boards notify the school inspectors, who shall unite 
said districts, giving five days' notice of a meeting to be held to elect officers, 
six in number, who constitute the Union School Board, and are called 
trustees. 

The district may then proceed to raise funds to build a school-house, 
which may be by direct tax or by bonds. In a country growing as rapidly 
as ours, it has been thought advisable to issue bonds ; this method equalizes 
the tax so that those who may settle in the district five, ten, or fifteen years 
after the house is built, and have the benefit of the schools, have their pro- 
portion of the tax to pay, so that in proportion to the increase of property 
and inhabitants, the tax is lessened, that it might not be more than one-tenth, 
or even one-twentieth, what it w'ould be to raise a direct tax. This is one of 
the best features in the law. Funds raised on bonds are restricted, or lim- 
ited, as follows: — Districts thus united, having 50 scholars, may raise not 
to exceed $3,000; 100 scholars, $10,000; 200 scholars, $20,000; 300 schol- 
ars, $30,000 ; 400 scholars, $50,000. 

And now, in further illustration of the avidity with which the people of 
Michigan have always fostered the idea of mental culture, we submit a list 
of the literary institutions which were incorporated by the Legislature 
during the fifteen years intervening between the adoption of its two State 
Constitutions, viz : Marshall Academy, White Pigeon, date of incorpora- 
tion, 1836; Central College, Spring Arbor, 1845 ; Spring Arbor Seininury, 
1835; Wesleyan Seminary, at Albion, 1841; Michigan and Huron Insti- 
tute, 1837; TcK-umseh Academy, 1838; Grand Kiver Theological Semi- 



AGRICULTURE. 103 

nary, 1839 ; Lake Academy and Teachers' Seminary 1839 ; Marshall Col- 
lege, 1839 ; Marshall Female Seminary, 1839 ; St. Phillip's College, 1839 ; 
Allegan Academy, 1843 ; Grand Rapids Academy, 1844 ; Utica Female 
Seminary, 1844 ; Ann Arbor Female Seminary, 1845 ; Ypsilanti Seminary, 
1845 ; Adrian Seminary, 1846 ; Clinton Institute, 1840 ; Vermontville 
Academical Association, 1846 ; White Pigeon Academy, 1847 ; Raisin In- 
stitute, 1847 ; Howell Academy, 1848 ; Leoni Institution, 1848 ; Leoni 
Seminary, 1848 ; Olivet Institute, 1848 ; AVoodstock Manual Labor Insti- 
tute, 1848 ; Oakland Female Seminary, 1849 ; Tecumseh Literary Insti- 
tute, 1849 ; Clarksou Academical Institute, 1850 ; Clinton Institute, 1850 ; 
Young Ladies' Seminary, at Monroe, 1850 ; St. IMark's College, Grand 
Rapids, 1850 ; and St. Mary's Academy, at Bertrand, 1850. Surely, of 
such an educational record as we have now briefly sketched, the Stale of 
Michigan may well be proud ; and the results are every day developing in 
the happiness and prosperity of her people. 

AGRICULTURE. 

In 1860 the population of Michigan was about seven hundred and forty- 
two thousand, but at the present time it is supposed to exceed a million and 
two hundred thousand. This is an increase of more than thirty-three per 
cent, in ten years. Now, in the absence of accurate data connected with the 
present year of 1870, we can only suggest an approximation to the present 
condition of agriculture in the State, and this may be ascertained by 
adding the above per centage to the figures contained in the census reports 
of 1860, which, with regard to the most important particulars, are as fol- 
lows : 

Improved farm lands, 3,476,296 acres. 

Unimproved farm lands, 3,554,538 acres. 

Cash value of farm lands, $160,836,495. 

Number of horses in the State, 137,917. 

Number of cattle, 478,344. 

Number of sheep, 1,271,743. 

Number of swine, 372,386. 

Value of live stock, $23,714,771. 

Bushels of wheat, 8,336,368. 

Bushels of Indian corn, 12,444,676. 

Bushels of oats, 4,036,980. 

Pounds of wool, 3,960,888. 

Bushels of potatoes, 5,261,245. 

Value of orchard productions, $1,122,074. 

Pounds of butter, 15,503,482. 

Pounds of cheese, 1,641,897. 

Pounds of maple sugar, 4,051,822. 

Gallons of sorgham molasses, 86,953. 

Gallons of maple molasses, 78,988. 

Pounds of honev, 769,282. 

Value of slaughtered animals, $5,093,362. 

In 1860 the value of the live stock in the State was $23,714,791, and at the 
beginning of the year 1869 it had increased to 854,426,109. The wheat crop 
for 1867, a good average year, amounted to 16,000,000 bushels of what is 
known as winter wheat; the clip of wool reached 10,500,000 pounds; and 
the apple crop amounted to 410,000 barrels, the estimated value of which 
was $1,500,000. But the latest authentic figures by which we can exhibit 



104 



CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 



the wealth of Michigan in leading agricultural products are for the years 
1866, 1867, and 1868, as follows : 



Products. 


Amount 
of crop. 


Average 

yield per 

acre. 


Number of 

acres in each 

crop. 


Value per 

bushel or 

pound. 


Total valuation. 


1866. 


16.118.680 
14,740,639 
413 150 
8,293.877 
418.971 
1,306.819 
5,037.298 

1,218;959 


32 
13,8 
15,5 
34,7 
25 
20 
110 
1200 
1.3 


503.709 
1,068,162 
26.655 
2.36.135 
16,759 
65,341 
45,793 
232 
937,651 


82 
2,55 
1,05 
.47 
1.02 
.98 
.56 
.15 
13.75 






37,588,630 




Oats bushels 


3 898 122 


Barley, bushels 


427,350 
1,280,683 

2,820,877 

48,818 

16,760,682 


Potatoes, bushels 








Total 






2,900,447 

481.464 

1,229,838 

34:883 

272,711 

20,000 

75,174 

58,974 

3,500 

1,059,230 




76,473,423 


1867. 


15.118.000 
15.250,000 
600.000 
8j045,OOO 
418,000 
1,293.000 
5,750,000 
3.500.000 
1,377,000 


31.4 
12,4 
17 2 
29,5 
20.9 
17.2 
97.6 
1000 
1.3 


.96 
2.34 
1.30 

.68 
1.36 
1,04 

.93 

.21 
16.14 


Wheat, bushels 


35,685.000 

780,000 

5 470 600 


Oats, bushels 








1,341.720 
4,197,500 


Potatoes, bushels 












Total 






3,235,774 

570,151 

l,280.9f0 

33,480 

251,229 

18,454 

63,309 

60.106 

3,118 

1,178,400 




85,519,360 

14,299,400 
26 "59 680 


1868. 

Indian corn, bushels 

Wheat, bushels .. 


18,815.000 
16,012.000 
606,000 
7,562,000 
430,000 
1.267.000 
5.650,000 
3.4.30.000 
1,473,000 


33 
12 5 
18.1 
30.1 
23,3 
19,4 
94 
1100 
1.25 


,70 
1.64 
1.09 
.50 
1,56 
.82 
.56 
,21 
15,00 






Oats, bushels 


3 781 000 


Barley, bushels 




Buckwheat, bushels 


1 638 940 


Potatoes, bushels 


3,104,000 






Hay, tons ■.■.■.■.■.■;:.;. 


22 095 000 






Total 






3,461,207 




72,689,6e0 











The several incorporated bodies to whose care the farming interests have 
been a-ssigned are the State Board of Agriculture, the Michigan Agricultural 
Society, and the Agricultural Culloge, already noticed in these pages. Ac- 
cording to U. F. Johnstone, who holds the pdsitiou of secretary of the society- 
just named, " the general system of agriculture in Michigan has been largely 
governed by the necessity which has compelled each farmer to apply all his 
abilities to the clearing and amelioration of the surface of the land. But 
the time has come when this system must be changed, the necessity for 
which is indicated by the decreased production of fields longest under culti- 
vation. Farms that formerly produced thirty to forty bushels of the choicest 
wheat to the acre now seldom yield over twenty-five, and in many cases the 
<iuality is inferior; and where this yield is exceeded it is upon the new and 
recently cleared lands, where the soil is yet rich iu the elements of fertility 
with which nature has supplied the surface." 

Of government lands undi.si)osed of, hitely lying in the State of Michigan, 
there were more than four and a half million.s" of acres; and, in view of that 
fact, the folIoAving particulars are worth reproducing : That part of the south- 
ern i)eninsula known as the "Grand Traverse Country" has recently been 
attracting tlie attention of actual settk'rs and parties speculating in hinds. 
In this district the State Agricultural College has located over one hundred 
thousand acres. The climate and soil are favorable to the growth of peaches, 
pears, grapes, and other fruits. Wheat of the best quality, comparing favor- 



AGRICULTURE. 105 

ably with any raised in other parts of the State, is successfully cultivated. 
Its sheep-walks are highly commended. Concerning the timber there, the 
secretary of the State Board of Agriculture remarks as follows : " The pre- 
vailing growth over a large portion of the country, embracing the best soil 
for cultivation, is the sugar-maple. Having considerable acquaintance with 
this species of tree, from the Penobscot to the Potomac and Ohio, the writer 
can safely say that he never saw such grand specimens as arc to be met with 
in countless numbers in the Grand Traverse Country. They arc frequently 
found of a height of sixty to seventy feet, without a limb, of a diameter of 
three feet or more at the ground, and very straight. Of course, such large 
trees cannot stand as closely together as smaller ones ; they hold possession 
of the ground, however, which in many cases is free from undergrowth, so that 
the forest presents the appearance of an artificial plantation or j)ark through 
which the people on horseback may readily pass in any direction." 

With regard to the condition of the public lands of Michigan, we gather 
from the records in the office of the Secretary of State the subjoined infor- 
mation. Of the primary school land, during the year 1869, there were sold 
25,940 acres for 6103,936, against 28,848 for $115^393 in the year preceding. 
Swamp lands sold, 7,369 acres, for $11,253; University land, 88 acres, for 
$1,053 ; Agricultural School land, 13,480 acres, for 643,000; Asvlum land, 
80 acres, for 6640; State Building land for 6260; Salt Spring laud, 196 
acres, for 6945 ; Internal Improvement land, 559 acres, for 6699 ; and Normal 
School land for 6160, making a grand total of 45,475 acres for 6161 ,948. Ac- 
cording to the State census of 1865 the public lands amounted to 35,995,520 
acres ; of which 3,647,645 were improved, and 12,086,660 were liable to pay 
taxes. 

The grant to the State, under the act of Congress knoAvn as the Swamp 
Land Act, was about six millions of acres. The lands were located in all 
jiarts of tlie State. Though known as swamp lauds, a large proportion of 
them were well adapted to agricultural purposes, and many of them were 
covered with valuable forests. The appropriations made by the State Legis- 
latures prior to 1868 amounted to more than 4,000,000 of acres. 

With the above figures before him, taken in connection with the general 
descrii)tions in the first part of this volume, the reader will obtain a lair 
idea of the condition of agriculture in the State of Michigan in 1868. 

Another statement which may be added in this connection is that of the 
aggregate cash value per acre of the form products of the State for the year 
1869; which is as follows : Corn, 625.08 ; wheat, 620.50; rye, 619.72 ; oats, 
615.05 ; barley, 636.34 ; buckwheat, 615.90 ; potatoes, 652.64 ; tobacco, 6231 ; 
hay, 618.75; and aggregate of all crops jier acre, 621, 

AVitfi regard to the fruit culture, we submit the following returns for 
1869 : From 12,000 to 15,000 acres of land are devoted to fruit culture in 
Western Michigan, the greater portion of which is planted in trees not yet 
bearing. The average prices of fruit during the season were about as 
follows: Strawberries per quart, 10 cents ; raspberries, 12 cents; blackber- 
ries, 8 cents ; apples ber bushel, 80 cents; pears, 63 ; cherries, 64; plums, 
63; quinces, 64; peaches, per box or basket, 75 cents ; grapes per pound, 
10 cents. The value of the fruit crop of the season is estimated as f )nows : 
Apples, 6113,392; peaches, 6563,722; pears, 611,262; cherries, 62,520; 
grapes, 67,110; blackberries, 6107,705; raspberries, 650,617; strawberries, 
612,737; and plums, 61,100; total, 6870,165. The total shipments from 
twelve ports iu the region named are stated as follows : Apples, bushels, 
141,740; peaches, baskets, 751,630; quinces, baskets, 446; pears, baskets, 
3,754; plums, baskets, 490 ; cherries, baskets, 630; grapes, pounds, 71,100; 

G* 



106 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

blackberries, quarts, 1,346,324; raspberries, quarts, 421,812; strawberries, 
quarts, 127,372; cranberries, bushels, 370; cider, barrels, 660; tomatoes, 
baskets, 145. 

The appropriations made by the State for the support of the Agricultural 
College in 1869 amounted to §45,000. 

Having elsewhere spoken of the total area of the State of Michigan, we 
insert in this place a summary of the counties in which it is divided. Of 
course, in the extent of their population, there is great difference,- and while 
some of them are not fully organized, we find the number to be seventy- 
five, and their names as follows, with the population according to the cen- 
sus of 1870, excepting those marked with a star, which are from the census 
of 1864, there being no later returns at this date: 

Alcona, population, 693 ; Allegan, 18,831 ; Alpena, includes " Thunder 
Bay," of Lake Huron, 2,756 ; Antrim, Grand Traverse Region, 1,985 ; Bar- 
ry, 22,070; Bay, on Saginaw Bay, 15,900; *Berrien, 25,856 ; Benzie, 2,184; 
Branch, 26,244; Calhoun, 36,172; *Cass, 17,776; Cheboygan, includes island 
of Mackinaw, 2,197 ; Chippeway, includes Saute St. Marie, 1,690 ; Clare, — ; 

Clinton, 22,886 ; Crawford, ; Delta, 2,421 ; Eaton, 25,196 ; *Emmet, 

extreme northern part of Lower Peninsula, and includes Mackinaw City, 
1,211; Genessee, 33,910 ; Gladwin, 14; Grand Traverse, Grand Traverse 
Region, 4,332; Gratiot, 17,869; Hillsdale, 31,705; Houghton, includes 
Copper Region and Porcupine Mountains, 13,905 ; Huron, on Saginaw Bay, 
9,053 ; Ingham, includes Lansing, State capital, 25,281 ; Ionia, 27,682 ; 
Iosco, on Saginaw Bay, 3,155 ; Isabella, 4,479 ; Jackson, 36,082 ; Kala- 
mazoo, 32,068 ; Kalcasca, Grand Traverse Region, 424 ; Kent, 50,330 ; Ke- 
wenaw, includes Copper Region, Porcupine Mountains, and Isle Royal, 4,206 ; 
Lake, 548 ; Lapeer, 21,355 ; Leelenaw, Grand Traverse Region, 4,569 ; 
Lenawee, 45,635 ; Livingston, 19,339 ; Macomb, on Lake St. Clair, 27,617; 
Manistee, 6,084 ; Manitou, 1,043 ; Marquette, Iron Region, 14,982 ; *Mason, 
844; Mecosta, 5,645; Menominee, on Green Bay, 1,892; Macinac, head of 
Lake Michigan, 1,716 ; Midland, 3,021 ; Missaukee, 130 ; Monroe, on west 
end of Lake Erie, 27,486 ; Montcalm, 13,351 ; Montmorency, ; Mus- 
kegon, 14,899 ; *Newaygo, 3,481 ; Oakland, 40,898 ; *Oceana, 2,379 ; Oge- 
maw, 12; Ontonagon, includes Copper Region and Porcupine Mountains, 

2,895 ; Osceola, 2,105 ; Oscoda, 70 ; Otsego, ; Ottawa, 26,558 ; Presque 

Isle, 355 ; Roscommon, ; Saginaw, includes Salt Region, 38,902 ; San- 
ilac, 14,564 ; Schoolcraft, includes " Pictured Rocks " of Lake Superior, 
52 ; Shiawassee, 20,856 ; St. Clair, on Lake St. Clair, 36,837 ; St. Joseph, 
26,669; Tuscola, on Saginaw Bay, 13,715; *Van Buren, 17,830; Washte- 
naw, includes "University of Michigan," at Ann Arbor, 41,449; AVayne, 
includes City of Detroit, and partly on Lake St. Clair, 119,685 ; "Wexford, 
950. 

As the general census for 1870 is not likely to be published for one or two 
years, our only way to study the recent progress of Michigan is liy mention- 
ing such statements as nuiy happen to come, in an isohited form, to our 
knowledge. For example, here is a significant paragraph bearing upon the 
city of Detroit. In 1860 the total population was about 46,000, and the 
number of families in the city was 8,963. In 1870 it contained about 80,000 
inhabitants and 14,698 families; and to these figures may be added of mer- 
cantile sliops 71 f^, groceries 381, oflfices 446, hotels 63, boarding-houses 196, 
churches 54, public balls 13, public schools 108, machine shops 893, and 
restaurants (i(;9. Barring one or two items, these results are certainly cred- 
itable to the people, whose progress in material prosperity is remarkable. 

Every intelligent and thoughtful man occasionally looks forward to the 



MINERAL WEALTH. 107 

future, and wonders what his State and country are to be in years to come. 
Of course we cannot lift the veil and view the State as it will be a genera- 
tion or a century hence. But we can look back and see what it was a half 
century since. We can trace its progress from that time to the present, and 
from its growth in the past we may form a tolerably correct idea of what it 
may be in the future. 

The first census of Michigan was taken in 1810, and showed a population 
of 4,618 whites, 120 free colored, and 24 slaves. Total, 4,762. 

In 1820 there were 8,591 whites, 174 colored. Total, 8,765. 

In 1830, 31,346 whites, 261 colored, 82 slaves. Total, 31,639. 

In 1840, 211,560 whites, 707 colored. Total, 212,267. 

In 1850, 395,071 whites, 2,583 colored. Total, 397,654. 

In 1860, 742,314 whites, 6,798 colored. Total, 749,213. 

In 1864, according to the State census, the population was 805,379. 

The vote of the State at the election of 1869 was over 220,000. This, 
allowing one voter to every five persons, would indicate a population in 1870 
of over 1,100,000. There is scarcely a doubt that the census of 1870 will 
show a population in the two peninsulas of more than 1,200,000. 

The ratio of increase from 1840 to 1850 was 87 J per cent. From 1850 to 
1860, 88 J. A fraction over 60 per cent, increase from I860 to 1870 would 
make the population of the State at the latter date 1,200,000, as above esti- 
mated. And the same ratio of increase from 1870 to 1880 would swell tln^ 
population to about two millions. 

Wg confidently expect that the above figures will be found none too high 
ten years hence. We see no reason Avhy we may not expect an increase of 
sixty per cent, during that time. No part of the State can yet be said to be 
densely populated, while large portions of it are yet covered with primeval 
forests, in which the sound of the settler's axe has never been heard. 

Only at one time since the first settlement of the State, and then but for 
a brief period, has the advance been as rapid as at present. Everywhere, 
in city, village, and country, there is a substantial and healthful progress. 
With judicious legislation, both State and National, this progress should 
continue. Such legislation it is proper to expect ; and hence, if made the 
recipient of such, the continued prosperity and rapid development of Mich- 
igan, is undoubtedly assured. 

MINERAL WEALTH. 

The copper interest of Michigan was fii-st brought into public notice by 
the speculation excitement of 1845. The large spur of country whicli pro- 
jects into Lake Superior, called Keweenaw Point, became the El Dorado 
of that day. In that year the first active operations were commenced near 
Eagle Harbor, and the Clift' mine was developed ; in 1848 the mines on the 
Ontonagon were first opened ; and in 1855 operations were commenced in 
what is known as the Pewabic mine. For several years after these mines 
were discovered the Falls of St. ]\Iary were a great stumbling-block in the 
way of success, but the opening of the canal between the waters of Lakes 
Huron and Superior gave a wonderful impetus to the whole business, which 
steadily increased from a yield of about twenty-five hundred tons of pure 
copper in 1853 to eighty-five hundred tons in 1861. During the twenty 
years succeeding 1845 there were not less than one hundred and twenty 
copper-mining companies organized under the laws of jNIichigan. The 
amount of capital invested was not less than twelve millions of dollars. 
What is known as the copper region, extending about one hundred and 
thirty -five miles in length and fronx one to six in width, is divided into three 



108 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

districts, each one of wliich lias some peculiarities of product; the Ontona- 
jjon or western district developing more masses ; while the other two, the 
Keweenaw Point and Portage Lake districts, are more prolific in the vein 
rocks, the copper being generally scattered. The copper product of IMichi- 
gan from 1845 to 1868 amounted to 128,275 tons, the total value of which 
has been put down at more than seventy-three millions of dollars. 

Another mineral interest of Michigan, which promises to become an import- 
ant source of revenue, is that of iron. The first shipment of pig-iron of any 
consequence was made in 1858, although the mines were opened in 1857 by 
the " Pioneer Iron Company." The centre of this business is jNIarquette, on 
Lake Superior, and from that county is obtained one-fifth of all the iron ore 
used in the United States. In the village and vicinity are several shafts 
more than a hundred feet deep, a number of blast furnaces, and several 
machine-shops where various kinds of castings and iron manufactures are 
turned out. It has been demonstrated that there is no better iron to be 
found anywhere than among the hills of Lake Superior, and shipments of 
ore are now regularly made to the States of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New 
York. The ore is found in a slate formation, and is granular, specular, and 
hermatite, yielding 75 per cent, of pure iron. For car-wheels, gearing, shaft- 
ing, for cranks and flanges nothing has been found to surpass or even equal 
the iron of Michigan. The whole region lying back of Marquette is said 
to contain an inexhaustible supply of iron ore, and there are people who 
believe that Lake Superior is surrounded with a belt of the same ore. 

Tliesc facts, as it has been truly said by another, exhibit the untold wealth 
of ]\Iichigan in iron ore alone, and point with certainty to an extent of busi- 
ness that will add millions to the invested capital of the State, dot it with 
iron manufactories of all kinds, and furnish regular employment to thou- 
sands of citizens, Avhile the wares of the State and the raw material will be 
found in all the markets of the country. The product of Michigan iron for 
186*J was in advance of all previous years, was sold at the rate of two dol- 
lars ])er ton, and gave employment to about two hundred vessels, the demand 
having been greater than the supply. For purposes of reference we subjoin 
the value of the product annually for a term of years : 1858, $249,202 ; 
1859, $575,529; 1860, $736,496; '1861, $419,401 ; '1862, $984,977; 1863, 
$1,416,935; 1864, $1,867,215; 1865, $1,590,430; 1866, $2,405,960; 1867, 
$3,475,720 ; 1868, $3,676,705 ; 1869, $5,296,315. 

We now come to the salt interest of the State. It was demonstrated by 
the late Douglass Houghton that the Salt Springs of Michigan would prove 
to be valuable, but it was not until 1859 that salt became a staple article 
of merchandise for home consumption. It was in that year that certain 
enterprising citizens of East Saginaw petitioned to the Legislature for the 
passage of laws to protect the salt interest ; and an act was at once passed 
allowing a bounty of ten cents per bushel and an exemption from taxation 
on real and personal property used in the manufacture, tlie bounty to be 
l)aid wlien five tliousancl bushels had been made by the nuinufacturers. 
This gave an im])ulse to the business, and operations were connucnced at 
Grand Rapids and East Saginaw. The law allowing a bounty was amended 
in 1860 greatly reducing the amount, and providing that all companies 
which commcneed manufacturing previous to the first of August, 1861, 
should be alh)wed five cents per barrel, until they received one thousand 
dolhirs, after which all bounties ceased. The pn)perty was exempt from 
taxation for five years, and none of the companies formed since 1861 re- 
ceived any bounty. 

In 1869 the Saginaw Valley turned out not less than 596,873 barrels of 



MINERAL WEALTH. 109 

salt, and the Legislature provided by law for the appointment of a State 
inspector of salt, the first man appointed having been Dr. S. S. Garrigucs. 
At that date there were in the Saginaw Valley oO companies, 119 salt 
blocks, 4,198 covers, 4,045 kettles, 123 grainers; o,000 men were employed 
in the business, and the cost of producing was thirty cents per bushel, and 
the capital invested amounted to §2,632,500. At Port Austin the yield for 
1869 was 14,000 barrels. 

In 1833 certain plaster beds were discovered in Kent county, in the vicin- 
ity of Grand llap;ds, which have been found to be inexhaustible. They 
were first brought to market tlirough the enterprise of Do Garnio Jones, (;f 
Detroit. The mineral is found imbedded in slate, and is cut out clear; and 
the demand for it having been great in all parts of the western country, it 
finds a ready market, to which it is transported by the Detroit and Mil- 
waukee railroad. The amount annually manufactured in this locality 
varies from ten to twenty thousand tons. 

It is worthy of mention, in this connection, that during the summer 
of 1870 there was quite a rush of })eople to the town of Eaton Kapids, seek- 
ing health from the magnetic waters of that place. These waters are very 
copious, and certain properties have been discovered in them which are said 
to upset many of the old o])inions of scientific men. That they are of great 
value in curing certain types of disease, seems to have been fully demon- 
strated. But the town of St. Louis, in Gratiot county, claims to be equally 
supplied with magnetic waters with Eaton Kapids, and a report nuxde by 
Professor Samuel P. Duffield claims for them a variety of valuable qualities. 
In a paper which Professor Alexander Winchell read before the association, 
for the advancement of science on the magnetic wells of the State, he sub- 
mitted many interesting particulars. The wells are widely separated in 
position, and their waters are derived from different geological formations. 
Some are supplied from the bottom of the coal measures, and others from 
geological positions five hundred and one thousand feet lower. Nor is there 
any greater correspondence in the chemical constitution of the waters. They 
are all, however, moi'e or less alkaline, and some of them saline and chalyb- 
eate. The conclusions arrived at by the professor are as follows: 1. Nearly 
all pieces of iron and steel are found possessed of permanent and varying 
polarity. 2. Neutral iron is polarized by being placed in the magnetic 
meridian or in a vertical position. 3. This induced ])olarity can be detected 
in its effects upon a permanent magnet. 4. The mineral waters of Michi- 
gan tend to induce polarity (i. e., the same as the south end of the needle) 
in the outer end of a rod of soft iron passed through a cork into a bottle of 
the water. 5. This property is retained by the water for weeks and months. 
6. A rod of steel, or a knife blade, immersed in the water from twenty min- 
utes to ten hours acquires very sensible polarity, though practically neutral 
before immersion. 7. No satisfactory evidence exists that the water itself 
Is polarized or that magnetism can be bottled up in it. 8. The phenomena 
are more likely to arise from some chemical action between the water and 
the iron ; and this supposition is strengthened by the fact that they arise 
equally when the rod is simply moistened, when it is immersed in water 
rendered artificially alkaline or salt, and when the surface of the steel is 
unpolished, and, or not, arise when pure rain water is employed. 9. Should 
it be shown that the magnetism is not excited by chemical action, and tliat 
the water itself possesses a feeble polarity, we may recall to mind the moun- 
tains of magnetic oxyd of iron near Lake Superior, the disintegration of 
which, in former ages, has supplied an enormous amount of magnetic iron 
sand, which is strewn along the shores of the great lakes, and enters largely 



110 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

into the constitution of the palaeozoic strata, forming sometimes, it may be, 
real lodestone strata, as alleged, and that particles of this magnetic oxyd 
may float, polarized, in water flowing from subterranean reservoirs in any 
part of the loAver peninsula of Michigan. 

Vast coal beds underlie nearly the whole central portion of Michigan, 
most of it of very good quality, yet nearly all the coal consumed in the State 
is brought from Pennsylvania and Ohio, at a very heavy cost in the way 
of lake and railroad freight charges. In view of these facts it is a matter 
of individual interest to nearly all the people of the State to have the coal 
veins of Michigan opened and worked. The developments thus far in mining 
it have not reached important results, although beds of it have been worked 
in Shiawassee and Jackson counties Avith success ; but it is gratifying to 
state that a very great improvement is soon to take place in the develop- 
ment of this important element of wealth. The coal-field of Michigan, 
according to Professor J. W. Foster, is about one hundred feet thick, and 
extends over an area of five thousand square miles. 

In 1869 the Governor of Michigan, Henry P. Baldwin submitted to the 
Legislature the importance of a thorough and complete geological survey 
of the State, and an interesting report made by the joint committees of the 
two houses, and signed by Lyman D. Norris and John Q. McKernan, was 
made the basis of farther legislation. From that report we are permitted 
to extract the subjoined summary of geological exploration and legislation 
in Michigan from the earliest to the present times : 

1659. — First mention of copper in the Upper Peninsula, in the Relations 
of the Jesuit Fathers concerning their mission in the New World. 

1771. — First mining enterprise, near the forks of the Ontonagon river, by 
Alexander Henry. (See, farther on, the speech of an Indian chief of On- 
tonagon, at the treaty of Fond du Lac.) 

1789. — Explorations of Alexander McKenzie, on the shores of Lake Su- 
perior. 

1800. — Under the elder Adams, Congressional resolution providing for 
an agent to collect information of the copper mines of Lake Superior. 

No results extant. 

1819. — Expedition of Governor Cass and H. R. Schoolcraft along the 
south shore of Lake Superior. 

Results meager ; published in Schoolcraft's " Journal of Travels," etc., 
1821. 

1823. — Expedition of Major Long, with several scientific gentleman, 
who, on their return from the Red River of the North, coasted the north 
shore of Lake Superior. 

Reports of the War Department. 

1823. — Expedition of Governor Cass and Colonel McKenney, of the 
Indian Department, to Fond du Lac, to negotiate the treaty with the Chip- 
pewas. 

The Governor, in his speech in the Council, says : " We also wish that 
you would allow your Great Father to look through the country, and take 
such copper as he may find. This copper does you no good, and it would 
be useful to us to make into kettles, buttons, bells, and a great many other 
things." 

Tlie replies of the chiefs are quite characteristic and piquant, and are 
models of brevity and point, quite suggestive to legislative councils of later 
day. 

Shin-gaw-ba W'ossin, Chief of Saute St. Marie band, says : 

" If you have any copper on your lands I advise you to sell it. It is of 



MINERAL WEALTH. Ill 

no advantage to us. * * * If any of you have any knowledge, bring it 
to light." 

Yellow Thunder. — " In my country there is no copper. If I said there 
was I should lie." 

Plover, (of Ontonagon.) — " I have no knowledge of any copper in my 
country. There is a rock there. I met some of your people in search of 
it. I told them if they took it, to steal it, and not let mc catch them." 

Another chief, (of Ontoganon,) name not known. — " You have heard the 
words of the Plover on this rock. This, Fathers, is the property of no one 
man. It belongs alike to us. It was put there by the Great Spirit, and it 
is ours. In the life of my father, the British were busy working it. It 
was then big, like that table. They tried to raise it to the top of the hill, 
and they failed. They then said the copper was not in the rock, but in the 
banks of the river. They dug for it by a light, woi'king under ground. 
The earth fell in and killed three of their men. It was then left until now. 
Fathers, at the time of which I speak, a great price was paid by the Eng- 
lish for our permission. We expect no less from you. If you take this 
rock. Fathers, the benefit must be to our cliihlreu who are now but this 
high (a foot.) For ourselves we care but little. We are old and nearly 
worn out." 

Another chief, (name not known.) — "Fathers, the copper I brought here 
was taken from the bed of the river. I will point out the place." 

Maw-gaw-gid. — " There is no metal in our part of the country. I have 
heard neither our old nor young men speak of any." 

This copper rock was found by Captain Porter, lying on the west bank 
of the Ontonagon, about thirty-four miles from its mouth, weighing about 
one ton, and two-thirds pure copper ; but as three cataracts, Avith a descent 
of seventy feet, was between the rock and the lake, the captain did not 
" steal " the copper. Touching the land that the Great Spirit had given 
the red men, the commissioners were more successful. 

" Sketches of a Tour to the Lakes," by Thomas L. McKenney, Balti- 
more. 1827. 

1831. — Dr. Houghton was with Schoolcraft in an United States expe- 
dition to find the sources of the Mississippi, and in his reports refers to the 
aid received from this exploration. 

State of Michigan. — 1837. — Session laws, page 14, provides for a geolog- 
ical, zoological, botanical, and topographical survey. Dr. Douglass 
Houghton as chief, and five assistants, were appointed. These assistants 
were Dr. AbramSager, (botany and zoology,) S. W. Higgins, ( topograi)her,) 
C. C. Douglass, Bela Hubbard, William P. Smith, and later, Dr. John 
Wright, botanist, was added. 

1838. — Session laws, page 119, is a new and enlarged act. 

The reports made under these acts were as follows : 

1838, January 26th. — General Geology. 37 pp. 

1839, February 4. — A report of 153 pp., devoted to Geology, Zoology, 
Botany, Topography, and to the local geology in Eaton, Ingham, Jackson, 
Wayne, and Mouroe. This year the department of Zoology and Botany 
were suspended. 

1840, January 6, — A special Report on Salt Springs. 

1840, February 3. — A report of 109 pp. upon Geology and Topography, 
and local examination of the geology and coal measures of Jackson, Cal- 
houn, Kahimazoo, Ionia, and Kent, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Branch, St. Joseph, 
Cass, Berrien, Washtenaw, Oakland, and Livingston counties. 

1841, February 1. — Came the fourth annual report, 169 pp., (89 pp. de- 



112 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

voted to Geology, etc., of Lake Superior country,) Latitudes and Magnetic 
Variations, rise and fall of lake water, and general geology of the organized 
counties, and " furs, fish, and harbors of Lake Superior." 

1841, February 4. — A brief report relative to State and county maps. 
Four county maps were published and sold. Ten were finished and ready 
for the engravers. They are waiting yet, if extant. 

1842, January 25. — Dr. Houghton sends in his last (5th) Annual Report 
of only C) pages, with notices of the geology of the western portion of the 
Lake Superior country. 

By the act of 1837 $29,000 were appropriated, $3,000 for 1837, $6,000 for 
1838, $8,000 for 1839, and 812,000 for 1840. 

By the act of 1838 this appropriation was so modified as to give 812,000 
a year for three years, Avith a conditional drawback upon the University 
fund of 84,000. 

The financial pressure of the times cut short the labors of Dr. Houghton, 
and while he was in the active prosecution of a plan for connecting the 
linear surveys of the public lands with a geological survey, his death, by 
drowning, near Eagle river, on the night of October loth, 1845, put an end 
to his usefulness, and all the people of our young State are mourning over his 
untimely death. His was truly a sad loss to the State and nation. 

An enthusiastic lover of science for itself and for no selfish ends, with a 
constitution that seemed never to know fatigue or fear, labor or danger, 
he had withal a kindly, loving lieart, that drew to itself all Avho were 
brought Avithin his circle. Simple as a child and as unassuming as he Avas 
schohirly, he Avrote his name in the history of this State, there to remain 
forever. 

The influence that such men have lives after them, and if there is any- 
thing of unsensational enthusiasm in the advocacy of the writer of this report 
of sucli thorougli geologic work as would most gratify the spirit of that great 
and good man of science, (if he is permitted " to participate in the cares and 
concerns of this mortal life,") it springs from the recollection of many months 
of intimate jjcrsonal intercourse had Avith him in the earliest days of our 
University. His loAV, compact, sinewy figure, croAvned Avith a cfome-like 
brain, always bent doAvnward like a full head of Avheat, as he sauntered 
across the college campus, surrounded by the baker's dozen of the students 
of those days — always Avelcome companions to him — is one of memory's pic- 
tures never to be effaced. With his forward and dowuAvard look he seemed 
ever to be interrogating mother Earth and asking for her secrets, Avhile 
no rare bug, or beetle, or blade of grass, or stone escaped his notice, but Avas 
seized and examined and taken as the text for many pleasant and instruc- 
tive lectures to the loving group that stood around. 

" Peace to the just man's memory." He is at r&st from his labors in the 
bosom of that common mother whose secrets he sought so earnestly to ex- 
plore. We may confidently believe that his title to the six feet finally to be 
allotted to us all is under the good old common law tenure : " Cujus est 
solum, ejus est usque ad coelum." He Avho owns the soil, oAvns it to the 
Heavens. 

And what Avere the results of his labors ? Necessarily fragmentary and 
incomplete, they Avere not inconsiderable. His discoveries and develop- 
ments of the Gypsum, Marl, INlineral Springs, Bog Iron Ore, Coal, Iron, 
Copper and Brine Springs, (of Avhich latter many analyses and locations are 
given now fully verified,) in various iocalities in this State, disclosed a Avorld 
of undeveloped wealth, the rapid returns from Avhich Avere many years de- 
layed by the financial troubles of his day, the sparseness of settlements, the 



MINERAL WEALTH. 113 

want of surplus capital, and the necessities among the i^ioneers of every 
State, to labor first for bread and a foothold. 

1847, March 1. — Reference should here be made to an act of Congress of 
this date, under which Dr. C. T. Jackson spent two seasons in an explora- 
tion of the Lake Superior region, and in 1849-50 made a report thereon of 
801 pages. 

This work was continued by Foster and Whitney, in their two reports, 
*' Copper Lands " (224 pages) and " Iron Regions," (406 pages,) given to the 
world, the first 1850, April 15, and the second 1851, November 12. — See 
Ex. Doc, No. 69, First Sess. XXXI Cong., vol. 9, and E.t. Doc. No. 4, Special 
Sess. XXXII Cong., vol. 3. 

Since then, a period of almost twenty years of unexampled development 
of mines and minerals in the uj)j)er peninsula, nothing has been done there 
by government, State or national, and but small expenditures have been 
authorized on the lower peninsula, as hereinafter detailed. 

1859. — By act No. 206, the Governor was authorized to appoint a geolo- 
gist and assistants to finish the survey ; and 62,000 for that year, $3,000 for 
the following were appropriated. 

Professor A. Winchell was commissioned by Governor Wisner, and sent 
in his first report December 31, 1860, of 330 pages, devoted wliolly to the 
lower peninsula, setting fortli the progress of the work for the years 1859 
and 1860. Of this report, 210 pages are geological, 30 pages zooh)gical, 
(Professor Miles',) and 85 pages botanical. 

During the first year fully one-half the appropriation was absorbed in 
zoological work. Tlie geological results, then, are properly chargeable with 
only $4,000. The -whole two years' work was, at the request of Governor 
Wisner, kept in the lower peninsula, principally liecause the means pro- 
vided were not sufficient to inaugurate cft'cctive work in the upper. 

The work indicated from this report is a general survey of the settled 
counties, and of the entire lake shores of the lower peninsula, with detailed 
examinations, with a view of settling questions as to coal, gypsum and brine, 
and other questions connected with economic geology. 

The practical results of Dr. Houghton's survey are too far from our day 
to estinuite ; but those of Professor Winchell are nearer our time, and can 
be found, more or less, in the current and contemporary news of the day. 

A few of these results, addressed to those members of both houses, who 
will hinge their vote upon the question, " Will it pay ?" your committee l)eg 
leave to refer to. Operations for coal in Hillsdale were arrested. Tlie citi- 
zens of Grand Rapids were informed that if they would find brine, they 
must go lower, to the salina formation. The deepest and most jinKluctive 
salt basin was located beneath the Saginaw Valley, and as the result of pure 
geological induction in remote jjortions of the State, before the first brine 
was seen, 850 feet was fixed as the depth at which good brine would be 
found — a prophesy verified almost to a foot by Dr. Lathrop in the Saginaw 
Valley. A complete table of geological formations of the lower peninsula, 
and their equivalencies with recognized groups in other States, was for the 
first time constructed. The existence of gy[)sum beneath a ridge of clay on 
the shore of Tawas Bay was insisted on, and the disct)very of that deposit, 
the commercial value of which is now a matter of notoriety, was made under 
the direction of Professor Winchell. Projected borings for artesian water, 
searches for coal, gypsum, and petroleum, have been favored or discouraged, 
and large outlays of money saved. 

The existence of three salt basins was established, the upper of which sup- 
plies Bay City and vicinity, (except the deep wells;) the middle, the Sagi- 
II 



114 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

naw ; and the lower, the wells at St. Clair, Mt. Clemens and Port Austin. 
The wells at the three last named places were undertaken under the advice 
of the State Geologist, purely upon geological calculations, according to the 
methods of rigorous science. In the case of the St. Clair well, the commu- 
nications of the Geologist with Colonel Whiting, as to deptli, supply and 
strength of brine, are instructive indications of the value of science in busi- 
ness enterprises. 

The special survey and report upon the geology and climatology of the 
Grand Traverse Region, 1866-7, has been the means (though wholly a pri- 
vate work) of turning the attention of the people to that country, and has 
largely increased its population, particularly of those interested in fruit 
culture, under the tempering influence of the waters of Lake Michigan. 

More might be added, but this ought, in the opinion of your committee, 
to secure a liberal appropriation. 

1861. — By joint resolution No. 7, provision was made for printing and 
distributing five thousand copies of the report made in 1859. 

1861. — By act No. 64, two thousand dollars for the year, and a like sum 
for the next, were appropriated for continuing the geological survey, with 
direction to restrict labor to geology exclusively, except so far as the col- 
lection of specimens in botany and natural science may not materially 
interfere with the same. 

Under this act but one thousand dollars was drawn and expended. Gov- 
ernor Blair failed to draw his warrant for the remainder, rather procrasti- 
nating than refusing, and the season for field work passed, and the country 
was soon involved in the tumult of war, and the continuance of the survey 
was not pressed by the officers in charge. 

1863. — By act No. 212, a special appropriation of fifteen hundred dol- 
lars for that year, and a like sum for 1864, was appropiated to provide that 
a suitable person (presumably a geologist) should visit the salt localities of 
the State, and make a special survey thereof, with direct reference to the 
feasibility of salt boring ; also, to collect and arrange suitable specimens of 
the different strata obtained from salt borings, and the same to arrange in 
a cabinet suitable for the same, in some room of the Capitol, (possibly the 
library room, as the least crowded and most capacious.) 

Your committee are unable to find any public report showing the expen- 
diture of this appropriation. 

In the same year, by joint resolution No. 10, Professor Winchell, desig- 
nated as "late" State geologist, is required to turn over to the board of 
State auditors all instruments, material, and property of any descri})tion, 
of the State, used by him and his assistants ; also, all specimens, and the 
geological survey was closed — leaving, as your committee believe, six thou- 
sand dollars of unexpended appropriations, and a considerable amount of 
geological labor and material half done, but yet extant, and in condition 
to be saved and made of practical use to the people of this State. 

It will be seen from this condensed review that, aside from the 89 pages of 
the reports of February 1, 1841, and a few brief notices subsequent thereto, 
a period oi' hventy-eigJd years of general growth, prosperity, and develo})ment 
has been allowed to pass, and the richest mineral territory in iron and 
copper in the world has been left wholly unaided by State aj)propriations in 
the development of its gigantic possibilities. Is it any wonder that the 
enterprising people of that far away region, who have accomplished so much 
with .such little means, grow restive in a connection that brings them no 
share of the public money derived from a common taxation, that has been 
profusely scattered over the lower half of the State, in the shape of Prisons, 



RAILROADS. 115 

Reform Schools, Insane, Deaf, Dunil), and Blind Asylums, Normal School, 
Agricultural College, University, geological survej^s, and internal improve- 
ments, and all the thousand and one ways that those nearest to the public 
treasury reach for its contents ? 

In the meanwhile, those hardy pioneers have labored and waited, until 
now, with a population of nearly 35,000, a capital invested in 112 companies 
for developing copper of $16,250,500, upon which has been paid dividends 
of $5,880,000, and an iron interest which, in the twelfth year of its com- 
mercial life, produced over one-fifth of all the iron mined in the United 
States, they have rights, and the State has duties — long-neglected duties — 
toward them, which it were wise to no longer neglect. 

Your committee are of opinion that the State is fully able, and ought to 
be willing, to enter now upon an enlarged and liberal geologic survey of 
both peninsulas ; that if but one can be undertaken, the Lake Su])erior 
country is entitled to the preference ; and that the survey there, in addition 
to the duties usually assigned to such officials, should also include the sta- 
tistics and history of the mineral, mining, smelting, manufacturing, and 
transportation interests ; the comj)ilation of accurate maps, showing the 
topography, geology, and timber, and the position of all mines, furnaces, 
and roads of the iron and copper region. Your committee would further 
note the fact that within the limits of the proposed survey, the State owns a 
large amount of swamp and school laud, reserved from market on actiount 
of its supposed mineral value, the determination of which value is a matter 
of common interest to all the people, while the United States are also 
holders of large tracts of supposed mineral land, whose value is wholly 
unknown, as nuich of the data given by Foster and Whitney, nearly twenty 
years ago, is shown by private examination to have been erroneous and im- 
perfect. 

RAILROADS. 

We have already alluded to the origin and building of the principal rail- 
roadtj of the State, and we now propose to speak of their success and present 
condition. The oldest and most successful is the Michigan Central. After 
passing into the hands of a private company it was extended to Chicago, a 
distance of 284 miles from Detroit ; and in regard to its equipment, man- 
agement, and general success it occupies a first-class position. 

In May, 1849, it was completed and in operation from Detroit to New 
Buffalo. New Buffalo Avas a small village at the southern extremity of 
Lake IMichigan, a few miles east of the present Michigan City. It has now 
entirely disappeared from the map. The JVIichigau Central Railroad termi- 
nated there, and from this point two daily lines of steamers ran to Chicago, 
a distance of nearly forty-five miles. The time between Chicago and New 
York became thus reduced to two and a half days. The Galena Railroad 
of Illinois was at that time comi)leted and in operation from Chicago to 
Elgin, a distance of forty-two miles. The Galena Railroad Company for a 
time entertained the design of completing the Michigan Central road from 
New Buffalo into Chicago, but that was finally done by the Michigan Cen- 
tral Railroad Company themselves. On its line have sprung up a large 
number of beautiful towns and villages ; the older places along the route 
have greatly increased, and the country through which it passes exhibits a 
degree of thrift and prosperity that will compare favorably with the most 
flourishing sections of the country. Its business arrangements are such that 
goods may now be shipi)ed from Chicago to Portland, in Maine, with only 
one change of cars, and four passenger trains leave the two cities of Chicago 



116 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

and Detroit daily. The eastern terminus being at the latter city, it has full 
advantage of the various connections at that point, viz : The Great Western 
and Grand Trunk Railways, the important steamboat routes to Cleveland, 
Buffalo, and Lake Superior, and the different freight routes to the different 
lake ports of which Detroit is the nucleus. By means of what is called the 
" Joliet cut-off" it is connected with St. Louis by the " Chicago, Alton, and 
St. Louis Railroad." As this is the leading railroad artery of the State we 
submit the following particulars furnished from au official source: 

In reference to connections with other roads in the State of JMichigan, it 
is evident that the managers are pursuing the wise policy of assisting such 
new lines as must increase the local business, and whose friendship must be 
permanently beneficial. In furtherance of these views, aid was given to the 
Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw Railroad, which has now become a valuable 
ally; and also to the Grand River Valley Railroad, extendiugfrom Jack- 
son to Grand Rapids, a distance of ninety-four miles. The latter road is 
now operated as the Grand River Valley Division of the Michigan Cen- 
tral Railroad, under terms of an agreement Avhereby certain money was 
advanced to complete and equip it, the lessees covenanting to pay the inter- 
est on its bonds, and a maximum rental after three years, equivalent to five 
per cent, upon its capital stock. Although this road has onjy been in work- 
ing order for a short period it is earning a fair revenue and contributing a 
large and remunerative business to the main line. Arrangements have also 
been made with the directors of the Michigan Air-line Railroad for a lease 
of that portion of their road between Niles and Jackson, at a rental which 
should be equal to the interest on bonds which might be used in completing 
it, not exceeding $18,000 per mile, at eight per cent, interest. The distance 
by this line between Niles and Jackson is sixteen miles shorter than the one 
now in use, and renders the business of a rich section of country lying in 
many places twenty-five or thirty miles south of the INIichigan Central Rail- 
road directly tributary to it. The Peninmlar Raihray, extending from Bat- 
tle Creek to Lansing ; the Kalamazoo and South Haven Railroad, running 
from Kalamazoo to Bloomingdale ; the Fort Wayne, Jackson, and Safjinaw 
Railroad, and the Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad, are all valu- 
able tributaries to the Michigan Central Railroad, especially the latter, 
which opens up the finest fruit-growing section of the State. Arrangements 
were made in 1869 conducing to more harmonious relations and greater 
unity of action between the Great Western Railway of Canada and the 
Michigan Central Railroad ; and on January 1st, 1870, the eastern and 
western agencies of both roads were consolidated. The benefits of this con- 
solidation are apparent in the reduction of expenses and in a more active 
co-operation for securing business ; but the North Shore Route will be able 
to compete for traffic on much better terms when the projected line from 
Gloncoe to Bulialo is built, and when it is able to obtain at the latter place 
benefits which are now only conceded to the South Shore Route in conse- 
quence of the rivalry existing between the New York Central and Erie Rail- 
roads. The new line from Glencoe to Buftalo will be nearly an air-line from 
Detroit, with easy grades, and can be operated very economically at a high 
rate of speed. It is estimated that the distance between New York and 
Chicago via Buffalo, Glencoe, Detroit, and the short cut-oft' between Niles 
and Jackson, alluded to before, will not exceed 900 miles, and that much 
faster time can be made over the new route than over the present short line 
via Pittsburg. 

The Michigan Southern is another of the great lines of travel and freight 
transportation to which the State owes much of its prosperity. The history 



RAILROADS. 117 

of this road, for which we are indebted to Henry M. Flint, Esq., afford an- 
other example of the benefits of railroad consolidation: 

The JNIichigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad Company was 
formed on the 25th of April, 1855, by the consolidation of two railroads 
which had existed for some time previously, namely, the Michigan Southern 
railroad, and the Northern Indiana railroad. The Northern Indiana rail- 
road, as it existed at the time of its consolidation with the Michigan South- 
ern Ilailroad Company in 1855, originated in a company formed in Indiana, 
as early as 1835, under a charter from the State, as the Buffalo and Missis- 
sippi Ilailroad Company, The Northern Indiana Railroad Company com- 
menced its operations in the year 1852, under the provisions of a charter 
from the State of Ohio, which was granted on the od of March, 1851. The 
Northern Indiana and Chicago railroad had also commenced its operations 
about the same time, under a charter from the State of Illinois. The three 
roads last named became merged into one about the year 1854, under the 
name of the Northern Railroad Company. 

The IMichigan Southern Railroail C(jnj2)any was formed under a charter 
from the State of JMichigan, on the 9th of ]May, 184G, and in pursuance of 
an act authorizing the sale to them of the existing Michigan Southern rail- 
road and the Jackson and Tecumseh Branch thereof, which were both owned 
and operated by the State of Michigan. The organization was completed, 
and the conditions of the act were complied with in December, 1846, so that 
the Michigan Southern Railroad Company entered into possession of the 
railroad and its branch that year. 'The railroad from Monroe westward 
was commenced by the State of Michigan about 1838, but it was only fin- 
ished as far as Hillsdale at the time of its sale to the JMichigan Southern 
Railroad Company in 184G. It was extended by that company in 1852 to 
the Indiana State line, near IMiddlebury, and was connected there with the 
Northern Indiana railroad. The latter road was completed to Chicago in 
June, 1852. 

The Jackson and Tecumseh Branch was extended to Jackson in 1855, 
and a branch was built from Constantine, which was the terminus of the 
old IMichigan Southern railroad, to Three Rivers, in IMichigan, in 1853. 
The Goshen Branch forms part of the Goshen air-line from Toledo to Elk- 
hart, where it makes connection with the old line from Chicago to IMonroe. 

The Erie and Kalamazoo railroad from Toledo to Adrian, leased from 
the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad Company, is run and used as part of the 
main line of the Michigan Southern railroad from Chicago to Toledo. Part 
of the Detroit, IMonroe, and Toledo railroad, which was mostly Iniilt by the 
Michigan Southern Railroad Company, and is exclusively controlled and 
operated by them, is used as far as Monroe as j)art of the Michigan South- 
ern railroad from Chicago to Detroit. The Detroit, Monroe, and Toledo 
road is also used as a line from Detroit to Toledo, connecting at Toledo with 
roads to Cincinnati and Cleveland. 

The number of miles of road now owned and operated by the Michigan 
Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad Company is as follows: 

Toledo to Chicago via old line, 243 ; Toledo to Elkhart, air-line, 132 ; 
Detroit to Toledo, 05 ; Monroe to Adiian, 33 ; Jackson Branch, 42 ; Three 
Rivers Branch, sub-leased, 12. Total miles, 527. 

In September, 1849, soon after the organization of the Michigan Southern 
Railroad Company, a statement was sulimitted to the stockholders by the 
Board of Directors, exhibiting the condition of the road and the finances 
of the company, and soliciting a new subscription of a quarter of a million 
of dollars to provide means for extending the road west from Hillsdale, A 



118 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

portion of the stock was subscribed, and in the spring of 1850 the line from 
Hillsdale to Coldwater, a distance of twenty-two miles, was put under con- 
tract. The road then in operation from Monroe to Hillsdale, a distance of 
sixty-nine miles, was that which had been originally constructed by the 
State of Michigan. It had a wooden rail covered by a flat bar of iron. 
The company had released the Erie and Kalamazoo road, extending from 
Adrian to Toledo, thirty-three miles in length, making a total of one hun- 
dred and eleven miles then operated by the company. 

In the original grading of these roads the crossing of the valleys Avas 
effected, for the most part, by bridges of timber. Since that time, however, 
the whole extent of the tracks on these roads has been relaid with heavy 
rails, and the valleys on the route have been filled with permanent embank- 
ments, with new bridges and culverts for the streams and water-courses. 
Heavy expenses have also been incurred in providing abundant station 
accommodation all along the line. 

In the summer of 1850 the line was put under contract from Coldwater 
to Sturgis, a distance of twenty-three miles, and in March, 1851, this por- 
tion of the road was completed and opened. Some delay was experienced 
in determining upon the location of the line west of Sturgis, and contracts 
for the remainder of the road in Michigan were not made until May, 1851. 
During the Avinter and spring of 1851 the Indiana road Avas put under con- 
tract. The Michigan Southern road Avas opened to White Pigeon in the 
latter part of July, 1851. The Northern Indiana road Avas opened in suc- 
cessive stages : During the fall of 1851, to South Bend, and on the 9th of 
January, 1852, to La Porte. In February, 1852, the road Avas opened 
from Michigan City to AinsAvorth, in Illinois, and to Chicago in March, 
1852. On the 22d of May, 1852, the entire line Avas opened, and a passen- 
ger train Avent through from Toledo to Chicago. Thus, in the space of 
tAventy months, embracing two severe Avinters, the company constructed one 
hundred and sixty miles of ncAV road, and relaid and nearly rebuilt fifty 
miles of old road. 

The last act of legislation necessary to the consolidation of the companies 
owning the Michigan Southern and the Northern Indiana lines of railroad, 
Avas passed by the INIichigan Legislature on the 13th of February, 1855; 
full authority therefor having previously been given by the States of Illi- 
nois, Indiana, and Ohio. Immediately after the i)assage of the last-men- 
tioned act, the necessary measures were taken to carry the same into efi'cct, 
and on the 2Gth of April, 1855, the articles of consolidation Avere finally 
sanctioned and approved by the unanimous vote of the stockholders of the 
respective corporations. 

Improvements of every kind at once sprang u]) in all directions, through 
the region in Avhich the roads run. At Toledo, the new depot grounds Avere 
soon brought into use, and tlie Avhole business of that terminus Avas trans- 
ferred to tliem. These grounds Avere situated on the Maumee river. At 
this point the Cleveland and Toledo railroad unites Avith the Michigan 
Southern. The inconvenient ferry Avliich formerly existed at this point has 
long since been dispensed Avith, and in place of it a handsome bridge has 
been erected. This point is also the eastern terminus of the Toleilo, Wa- 
bash and Western railroad, Avhose trains run into the passenger depot of the 
Michigan Soiitlicrn road. 

In February, 1808, a contract Avas entered into Avith the Erie railway, of 
New York, ])y the terms of Avhieh that company guarantees the buildiiig a 
broad gauge railroad from a point on the Atlantic and Great AVestern rail- 
way, near Akron, Oliio, to Toledo, Ohio, less than one hundred miles. The 



RAILROADS. 119 

Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana railroad agree to lay a third rail 
on their line to Chicago, thus to j)erfect a broad gauge route from Chicago 
to New York by one of the shortest lines. The new road will be com])leted 
within a year, and will effect a revolution in travel between New York and 
Chicago, as the wide and comfortable cars of the Erie road can then carry 
passengers from one city to the other without change. 

The next road which we have to mention is the Detroit and Milwaukee 
Railroad, with which was incorporated the Detroit and Pontiac and the 
Oakland and Ottawa Railroads. It was first opened its entire distance, one 
hundred and eighty-eight miles, from Detroit to Grand Haven, in Novem- 
ber, 1858. It has been the means of opening up one of the best farming 
regions of the State. The principal cities and towns upon its line are Pon- 
tiac, Fentonville, St. John's, Ionia, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven, and 
the growth of these places has received a great im])etus since its comple- 
tion ; while numerous villages have also sprung into being, as if by magic, 
at numerous points along the line. These changes are plainly visible in the 
improved trade of Detroit, and the increase from tlic same cause must con- 
tinue to be strongly marked. In 1858 the company completed one of the 
finest railroad wharves in the world : it is fifteen hundred feet long by ninety 
broad, the west end of which is occupied by the freight house, the dimen- 
sions of which are four hundred and fifty by one hundred and thirty-two feet. 
In connection with this road, at its western terminus — Grand Haven — splen- 
did steamships ply regularly between that place and the city of IMilwaukee, 
having the most sum})tuous accommodations for passengers, together with 
ample room for all classes of freight. 

The population of that section of JMichigan which is directly tributary to 
or dependent upon the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad as a means of out- 
let is at the present time more than 25(),()()0, having upward of one million 
acres of improved land. At Corunna, in Shiawassee county, the road crosses 
the immense bituminous coal bed, which stretches throughout the central 
portion of the State, and which is undoubtedly destined, at no very distant 
day, to prove a source of immense business to ihe road and of wealth to the 
mine owners. Opening, as it does, a road through the very heart of the 
State, and intersecting for two hundred miles much good farming land, the 
local business alone is now, and is destined to be, truly inunense. The cost 
of this road was a little moz'e than nine millions of dollars. 

Although isolated and not extensive the Flint and Pere Marquette Rail- 
road deserves a brief notice for what it has accomplisiied for the Saginaw 
valley. In 1856, when Congress adopted a general system of donations of 
the public lands in the Western States to aid in constructing railroads, lauds 
were granted to Michigan for a similar purpose. In 1857 these lands were 
conferred by the I^egislature upon the Pere INIarquette Company, which sur- 
veyed the route of its road from Flint to Pere JMarquette, in the county of 
Mason, upon the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, a distance of one hundred 
and seventy-two miles, and located the line in the summer of 1857. In Sep- 
tember of that year, the commercial worhl was fearfully convulsed, and. 
owing to the constant disasters, the work of construction was not commenced 
until the fall of 1858. In the following year some thirteen miles of road 
were graded, and five miles of track was laid with Michigan iron manufac- 
tured at Wyandotte. The next year, 1858, the work of grading was con- 
tinued, but the financial difficulties of the times were such as to preclude 
the company from obtaining their iron that season so as to extend the track. 
In 1800 the time had expired wherein the company were to complete the 
first twenty miles of the road, so as to entitle it to the benefit of the law of 



120 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

the State conferring upon the companies the lands granted by Congress to 
aid in its construction. In this dilemma, with the a2:)preheusion of a j^ossi- 
ble forfeiture being declared by the State, the company received from the 
governor and other influential officers and citizens of the State, such assur- 
ances of good will, that no advantage or exception would be taken if the 
company would prosecute the enterprise in good faith, and the contractors 
were induced to proceed and complete the first twenty-six and a half miles 
of the route. 

Another State railroad is that of Amboy, Lansing, and Traverse Bay, 
which is designed to connect the great northern lumber region of the State 
with the markets of Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. Although not belonging 
to Michigan, the great Canadian railways have exerted an imjjortant effect 
upon its prosperity, and the official intercourse between the managers of the 
Great Western and Grand Trunk roads and those of INIichigan has been 
honorable as well as profitable to all the parties concerned. 

The condition of the new railroads in the State on the first of January, 
1870, was, in substance, as follows : The Allegan and Holland road, twenty- 
two miles long, was completed. The Flint and Pere Marquette road is ex- 
pected to be finished as far as Henry, one hundred and twenty miles, before 
the year 1871. The Grand Rapids and Indiana road is expected to be 
completed before the close of 1870. The Michigan Air-line road is finished 
from Three Rivers to Centreville ; and the Grand Rapids and Lake Shore 
road is progressing with despatch to Pentwater. In June, 1870, the Lake 
Superior and Mississippi Railroad was completed ; it is one hundred and 
fifty miles in length, and is the connecting link between Duluth and St. 
Paul. Steamers of a large class now leave Cleveland and Detroit almost 
daily for Dulutli, a distance of one thousand miles, making landings at all 
the American ports on Lakes Huron and Superior ; and this new route to 
the far Northwest not only promises to be eminently popular with summer 
tourists, but will become a favorite line of travel for all emigrants bound to 
the head-waters of the Mississippi. On the 1st of August, 1870, it was an- 
nounced that the State of Michigan had in operation not less than thirteen 
hundred and twenty-five miles of railroad, the cost and equipment of which 
was estimated at about 860,000,000; but with this fact we have to chronicle 
the following information: In the spring of 1870 the Supreme Court of 
Michigan decided that a certain act of the Legislature, passed in 18G4, 
authorizing municipalities to issue bonds in aid of railroad companies was 
unconstitutional, and the bonds issued under said act invalid. On the 27th 
of July following the Legislature met in extraordinary session for the pur- 
pose of considering this (piestion ; and although the Governor in his message 
proposed that the said bonds should be made good, the Legislature by a 
decided vote refused to entertain the proposition. The debt thus set aside 
was stated to amount to §o.o67,l 75.50, equivalent to a tax of 827.44 per 
capita on the total vote of the State at the preceding Presidential election. 
In September, 1870, the Fort Wayne, Jackson, and Saginaw railroad was 
completed, the distance from Jackson to Fort Wayne being 95 miles; at 
the latter jjliice it is connected with the Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw 
n)iid, of which it virtually forms a part, tin; two lines making a distance of 
211 miles. The lines of railroad which have been surveyed, but are not yet 
completed, amount to 908 miles. 

LUMBERING INTEREST. 

The pine forests of Michigan are a loading feature of its undeveloped 
wealth, and yet it has been estimated that its hard-wood forests are equally 



LUMBERING INTEREST. 121 

extensive and valuable. The pine lands are so located and distributed as 
to bring almost every portion of the State, sooner or later, in connection 
with the commerce of the lakes. The pine timber is generally interspersed 
with many other varieties, such as beach, maple, white ash, oak, cherry, 
etc., and in most cases the soil is suited to agricultural purposes. Tiiis is 
particularly the case on the western slope of the peninsula, on the waters 
of Lake Michigan, and along the central portion of the State. On the east 
and near Lake Huron, the pine districts are more extensively covered with 
pine timber, and generally not so desirable for farming purposes. There are 
good farming lands, however, all along the coast of Lake Huron, and ex- 
tending back into the interior. 

A large portion of the pine lands of the State are in the hands of the St. 
Mary Canal Company and individuals, who are holding them as an invest- 
ment, and it is no detriment to this great interest, that the whole State has 
been thus explored and the choicest of the lands secured. The develop- 
ments which liave thus been made of the quality and extent of the pine dis- 
tricts, have given stability and confidence to the lumbering interest. And 
these lands are not held at exorbitant })rices, but are sold upon ftiir and 
reasonable terms, such as practical business men and lumbermen will not 
usually object to. 

It is a remarkable fact that almost every stream of water in the State, 
north of Grand river, penetrates a district of pine lands, and the iiidutlis of 
nearly all these streams are already occupied with lumbering astahlishraents 
of greater or less magnitude. These lumfcer colonies are the pioneers, and 
generally attract around them others who engage in agriculture, and thus, 
almost imperceptibly, the agricultural interests of the State are spreading 
and developing in every direction. The want of suitable means of access 
alone prevents the rapid settlement of large and fertile districts of the State, 
which ai'e not unknown to the more enterprising and j)ersevering pioneers, 
who have led the way through the wilderness, and are noAV engaged almost 
single-handed in their labors, not shrinking from the privations and suffer- 
ings which are sure to surround these first settlements in the new districts. 

The Grand Traverse region, with its excellent soil, comparatively mild 
climate, and abundance of timber of every description, is attracting much 
attention, and extensive settlements have already commenced in many 
localities in that region. The coast of Lake JMichigan, from Grand river 
north, for upwai-ds of one hundred miles to jMauistee river, })resents, gene- 
rally, a barren, sandy appearance, the sand hills of that coast almost inva- 
riably shutting out from the view the surrounding country. 

North of the jNIanistee, however, this characteristic of the coast changes, 
and the hard timber comes out to the lake and presents a fine region of 
country, (extending from Lake Michigan to Grand Traverse Bay, and be- 
yond, embracing tlie head waters of the ]\Ianistee river. This large tract 
of agricultural land is one of the richest portions of the State, and having 
throughout its whole extent extensive groves of excellent pine timber inter- 
sjiersed, it is one of the most desirable portions of the peninsula. Grand 
Traverse Bay, the jNIanistee river, and River Aux Bees Scies are the outlets 
for the pine timber, and aflTord ample means of communication between the 
interior and the lake for such purposes. The proposed State roads will, if 
built, do much towards the settlement of this region. A natural harbor, 
which is being improved by private enterj)rise, is found at the mouth of the 
River Aux Bees Scies, and a new settlement or town has been started at 
this point. This is a natural outlet for a considerable portion of the region 
just described. The lands here, as in other localities in the new pcjrtions 

H * 



122 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

of the State, are such as must induce a rapid settlement whenever the 
means of communication shall be opened. 

The valley of the Muskegon embraces every variety of soil and timber, 
and is one of the most attractive portions of the peninsula. The pine lands 
upon this river are scattered all along the valleys in groups or tracts con- 
taining several thousand acres each, interspersed with hard timber, and sur- 
rounded by fine agricultural lands. 

The Pere Marquette river and White river, large streams emptying into 
Lake Michigan, pass through a region possessing much the same charaoter- 
istics. This whole region rests on a lime rock, has a rich soil, and is well 
watered with living springs, resembling, in many features, the Grand river 
valley. Beds of gypsum have been discovered on the head waters of the 
Pere j\Iarquette. 

Tlie unsettled counties in the northern portion of the State, the northern 
portion of Montcalm and Gratiot, Isabella, Gladwin, Clair, and a portion 
of INIidland, are not inferior to any other portion. There is a magnificent 
body of pine stretching from the head of Flat river, in Montcalm county, 
to the upper waters of the Tittabawassee, and growing upon a fine soil, well 
adapted to agriculture. This embraces a portion of the Saginaw valley, 
and covers the high ground dividing the waters of Lakes Huron and 
Michigan. 

The eastern slope of the peninsula embraces a variety of soil and timber 
somewhat different, in its general features, from other portions of the State. 
The pine lands of this region are near the coast of the lake, and lie in large 
tracts, but with good agricultural land adjoining. 

There arc in tlic lower peninsula, in round uumbers, about twentj-'-four 
million acres of land. Taking Houghton lake, near the centre of the State, 
as a ])oint of view, the general surface may be comprehended as follows : 
The Muskegon valley to the southwest, following the Muskegon river in its 
course to Lake Michigan. The western slope of the peninsula directly 
west, embracing the pine and agricultural districts along the valleys of 
several large streams emptying into Lake INIichigan. The large and beau- 
tiful region to the northwest, embracing thovalUy of tiio ]\Ianistee and the 
undulating lands around Grand Traverse 13ay. Northward, the region 
embraces the head waters of the Manistee and Au Sauble, with the large 
tracts of excellent pine in that locality, and beyond, the agricultural region 
extending to Little Traverse Bay and the Straits of Mackinaw. To the 
northeast, the valley of the Au Sauble and the pine regi(Mi of Tluuider Bay. 
To the east, the pine and hard timber extending to Saginaw Bay. To the 
southeast, the Saginaw valley; and to the south, the high lands before de- 
scribed in the central counties. 

Thus we have yet undeveloped over half of the surface of this peninsula, 
embracing certainly twelve to fifteen millions of acres, possessing stores of 
wealth in the timber upon its surface, reserving the soil for the benefit of 
those who, as the means of communication are opened, will come in and 
possess it, and thus introduce property into the region. It is estinuited that 
one-tenth of the area north of the Grand river is embraced in the pine 
region. The swamp lauds granted to tlie State will probably cover nearly 
double the area of the pine lands proper, the remainder, for the most part, 
being covered with a growth of hard timber suited to the necessities of the 
increasing ))opulation. It has been estinuited that in good years the pine 
lumber of the State yields not far from ten millions of dollars, and yet it is 
thought that the various hard woods might be made to yield a larger in- 
come. For example, the region around Saginaw Bay is i)erha})s the most 



LUMBERING INTEREST. 123 

remarkable locality in the world in regard to the quality and variety of its 
hard-wood timber. There, for nearly a hundred miles in extent, upon 
streams debouching into the bay, are dense forests of the choicest oak, with 
a great profusion of hickory, black walnut, white ash, white wood, bird's- 
eye maple, red elm, and other valuable varieties. The manufacture of agri- 
cultural implements will i)robably, in the future, be extensively carried on 
in this region. The profusion of this gi-owth is only ec^ualled by its accessi- 
bility to market, by the streams upon which it abounds. But hard-wood 
forests are found in other piuts of the State, which are nearly as valuable 
as those of the Saginaw region. And to crown all, it has been demonstrated 
that the lumber manufactured in Michigan, including all its varieties, is 
unsurpassed in its soundness and durability by that of any other in the 
country. In the lumber districts of the eastern shore there are 212 saw- 
mills with an invested cai)ital of SG,822,000, which in 1869 cut 738,041,700 
feet of lumber, 140,901,000 laths, and 243,820,000 shingles. Number of 
men employed at mills, 5,204. In the lumber woods it is estimated that 
10,250 men were employed at wages varying from $20 to 825 per month 
with board ; mill labor, $2 and $2.50 per day. The western shore lumber 
region includes the districts of Muskegon, Manistee, Ottawa, and Oceana. 
Abi)Ut 1,000 men are employed in the mills at Muskegon, exclusive of men 
in the woods. In that district 200,000,000 feet of lumber were cut in 18G9. 
The products of the other districts in 1869 are not given, but they produced 
in 1869 480,000,000 feet of lumber aud ,250,000,000 laths. The season's 
work on the Black river, it is estimated, was about 100,000,000 feet of logs, 
including a few million feet left over from the previous season. The pro- 
gress which the lumber trade is making in the northern part of the southern 
peninsula is said to be remarkable. 

In concluding this chapter, we may with propriety make an allusion to 
the climate of the State. As the i)resence of the ocean tends to mitigate 
the excessive temperature of the Atlantic slope, so do the great lakes exer- 
cise a similar influence over the two peninsulas of Michigan, lessening the 
winter's cold and the summer's heat. The temperature of the State has 
been fixed as follows : 

Ann Arbor. — Spring, 45.5 ; summer, 66.3 ; autumn, 48.4 ; winter, 25.3 ; 
year, 46.4. 

Fort Brady. — Spring, 37.6 ; summer, 62.0 ; autumn, 43.5 ; winter, 18.3 ; 
year, 40.4. 

The annual precipitation of rain is as follows : 

Ann Arbor. — Spring, 7.30 ; summer, 11.20; autumn, 7.00; winter, 3.10; 
year, 28.60. 

Mackinac. — Spring, 4.67 ; summer, 8.88 ; autumn, 9,01 ; winter, 3.31 ; 
year, 23.87. 

Fort Brady. — Spring, 5.44; summer, 9.97 ; autumn, 10.76 ; winter, 5.18 ; 
year, 31.35. 

With these facts before us, and remembering what has been recorded 
respecting the soil and vegetable producticms of Michigan, and its peculiar 
position, it would seem that so for as the clbuate of the State is concerned, 
we are wai-ranted in coming to the conclusion that it is a most fortunate 
region of couutry. If the more southern portions, in this respect, are found 
to be on a par with the neighboring States of Ohio and Indiana, when we 
come to look at the northern peninsula we find it abounding in charms which 
are peculiarly its own, unless we admit northern Wisconsin into the jiartner- 
ship. Those portions of the State which are washed by the northern part 
of Lake INIichigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior, and where the pine 



124 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

forests abound, have but two seasons, summer and winter. In September 
the wild geese and other water-fowl commence their migrations ; in October 
the first snows appear, and these, with the dense woods, retain a warmth in 
the soil until the opening of spring ; and, although the thermometer may- 
fall to — 30", the dry, cold, and elastic winds rob the temperature of its 
intensity, so far as it relates to the human system. And then, during the 
long winter nights, the wonderful Northern Lights come forth in all their 
pomp ; and after they have delighted and bewildered us with their beauty 
and sjilendor, would seem to say to the dwellers in Southern Michigan, who 
are wont to boast of their bright skies, brilliant sunsets, and matchless In- 
dian summer, that to the North belong the chief glory of these phenomena 
of tlie seasons. It is in Avinter, too, and in the North, that the wild animals 
attain their greatest perfection — the beaver his coat of velvet, and the part- 
ridge and owl their snow-white plumage. In April the lakes and streams 
are released from their icy fetters, and summer, without oppressive heat, but 
with charming influences and associations, then comes forth like a queen, 
and spreads a quiet gladness from lake to lake and from shore to shore, and 
when once enjoyed, can nevei* be forgotten, 

THE FISHERIES. 

Hemmed in, as is the State of Michigan, by four of the largest lakes in 
the world, and all of them filled with the purest water, it is not to be won- 
dered at that its fisheries should have become an important item in its com- 
merce. We have not the data to give an accurate account of the yield of 
fish, but we can safely say that they bring in a revenue of more than a 
million of dollars per annum, give employment to many hundred men and 
boats, and find a ready market in the States of Ohio and Indiana, as well 
as Michigan itself The most important fish taken in these Avaters is the 
white fish, and while the largest proportion of them arc salted, large num- 
bers of them are sold in a fresh state, and are popular in markets as dis- 
tant as Washington city, whither they are sent, neatly i:)acked in ice. They 
are found in the straits and all the lakes ; are taken with seines, gill nets, 
trap nets, and with spears, but never with the hook. They are celebrated 
for their edible qualities, and in the Western States occupy a similar posi- 
tion to that of the shad along the Atlantic coast. Their average weight is 
from three to five pounds, but specimens are occasionally taken weighing 
fifteen ])Ouuds. 

The Detroit river white fish — in the capture and shipment of which Mr. 
George Clark has become celebrated — are more juicy and better flavored 
than those caught in the upper lakes, probably from the fact that they 
feed on more delicate food, but those found in Lake Superior surpass all 
others in size. They Avere once so numerous that eight thousand Avere taken 
at a single haul. At present a haul of one or tAvo thousand is thought a 
very good one. In all the rivers they are groAving scarce very gradually, 
but surely. The ratio of decrease cannot be arrived at Avith any degree of 
precision. A fcAV years ago they Avere mostly taken Avith gill nets, and 
when they fell oft" in one place, a corresponding increase Avould be found in 
another. Noav they are taken Avith trap nets along the shore. The trap 
nets are a decided advantage over gill nets. They alloAV the fish to be kept 
alive, and then are taken out at leisure; they are, therefore, of better 
quality. 

Pickerel. — This variety is also held in high esteem. They arc good, 
either fresh or salted and dried, and for packing rank next in value to 



THE FISHERIES. 125 

white, although held nomintilly at the same price as trout when packed. 
They generally run up the rivers and lakes in the spring to spawn, where 
they are caught in considerable nunibei's. Average weight, two pounds, 
although occasionally weighing ten pounds. 

Lake or Mackinaw Trout. — This species are as voracious as ])ickerel. 
They are chiefly caught in Lake Huron with gill nets and hooks. Saginaw 
bay appears to be a favorite resort with them. Some winters, large quan- 
tities are caught in the bay through the ice, with a decoy fish and spear. 
They spawn in the fall, generally in the bays and inlets. Average weight, 
five pounds ; large specimens reaching seventy-five 2)ounds. 

Siscowit. — These are mostly found in Lake Superior, and are preferred 
by some to any other kind. They are of the trout family, and for fat are 
unequalled ; they are mostly taken in gill nets. They spawn in tlie fall, and 
are very superior for packing. They are also of some value for their oil. 
Common weight, four pounds. 

Large Herring. — These are very good fish, fijund only in the straits and 
large lakes. They spawn in the fall ; but few are caught. Average weight, 
one pound and three-quarters. 

In addition to the above, the muscalonge — a Large and delicious variety — 
black and white bass, rock bass, perch, sturgeon, catfish, eels, gar, mullet, 
sucker, perch, sunfish, as well as the lovely and valuable common trout, and 
many other kinds abound in the waters of Michigan. 

White fish are taken both in the spring and fall, chiefly the latter ; spring 
is the season for pickerel ; trout arc taken 'at all seasons. 

The localities where the commercial fish abound are numerous, but the 
following are the most important, and we mention them in the order of 
their importance: Mackinaw, Detroit river, Au Sauble, Thunder Bay, 
Saginaw Bay, Beaver Islands, Grand Haven, St. Joseph, INIichigan City, 
Green Bay, Saugatuck, Point Sauble, White Lake, and Port Huron. The 
total proceeds, as already mentioned, of all the Michigan fisheries is esti- 
mated at more than one million of dollars per annum. 

That the fishing business of the great lakes is yet in its infancy must be 
apparent to all who reflect upon the inexhaustible supplies to be found in 
these lakes and their tributaries ; and for this kind of food the surrounding 
market is almost without a limit. The barrels for packing constitute no 
inconsiderable item of this vast and constantly growing trade. Their manu- 
facture is a regular branch of business in some localities, but large numbers 
are also made by the fishermen themselves when not engaged upon the Ava- 
ters. The nets employed come chiefly from Massachusetts, and the large 
item of salt used is obtained from within the limits of the State. Of the 
men who originated the trade on Lake Hui'on, perhaps none have been 
more successful than j\Ir. Harvey Williams, of Saginaw. Around Macki- 
naw, on Lakes Superior and Michigan, the more successful men engaged in 
the business have been the Canadian French and Norwegians, the last of 
whom are wont to perform ex})loits upon the stormy waters which some- 
times astonish the natives of the surrounding shores. It has been estimated 
l)y the more sanguine citizens of Michigan that the value of her fisheries, 
when fully developed, will exceed the product of all the interior States of 
the Union added together ; but however that may be, the i'act remains that 
Michigan has been bountifully treated by the hand of Nature in this parti- 
cular, as well as in many others, and it should not falter in its duty as a 
faithful steward. 



126 



CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 
COMMERCE. 



As nearly all the interests hitherto touched upon in this compilation are 
directly connected with the commerce of the State, there is but little to add 
in further illustration of that subject. It is admitted on all sides that there 
is not a State in the Union which surpasses Michigan in her commercial 
advantages, and if her natural resources are properly fostered and developed 
they will keep her for a long time to come in the van of prosperous com- 
monwealths. She is also unequalled among the States in the extent of her 
coast line, which measures about fourteen hundred miles, and her natural 
harbors are numerous, and, generally speaking, so favorably located as to 
require but little expense or labor to make them available in all seasons for 
all classes of shipping. 

The combined area of all the great lakes, according to Professor J. W. 
Foster, is approximately estimated to exceed 90,000 square miles, and the 
depression in most of them is sufficiently profound to reach below the sea- 
bed. The following table, tlfough not strictly accurate, is believed to em- 
brace their prominent features, and are the latest conclusions arrived at by 
scientific men : 





Length. 


Breadth. 


Depth. 


Height aboTe 
sea. 


Area in 

miles. 


_ 


355 
310 
168 
246 
190 


164 
84 

120 
60 
50 


900 
600 
600 
300 
800 


605 
3S3 
578 
564 
233 


32 000 










Erie 












T f 1 










90 300 




1 







In the absence of minute and authentic statistics respecting the shipping 
of the State, we can only draw conclusions from isolated particulars. For 
example, the commercial value of Avheat passed through the St. Mary canal 
in 1856, the year after it was completed, was not less than five millions of 
dollars. In 1854 Lake Superior boasted of two steamboats and five sailing 
vessels, but at the end of two years from that date there were forty steamers 
and sixteen sail ve.«sels upon its waters. In 1839 the number of steamboats 
which navigated the great lakes was fifty-four, and iu splendor of equip- 
ments many of them, such as the IMichigan and Illinois, the Detroit, the 
Western W«)rld, Plymouth Rock, Buckeye, and Sandusky, the Cleveland, 
and the Buffalo, wore at that time unsurpassed by any other vessels of their 
kind in the United States, the burthen of several of them measuring two 
thousand tons. In 1827 there were only three steamers running from De- 
troit to Buffalo during an entire week, but in 1855, when that class of .ships 
was mostly jiopular, there were from eight to ten de])artures from Detroit 
every day. Tlie Walk-in-ihe- Water, Captain Jcdediah Rogers, the celebrated 
pioneer steamer, arrived at Detroit-May 20, 1819, and she occupied a whole 
week in making one trip to Black Rock, advertising to touch at all the 
towns on the American side of Lake Erie. She was wrecked near Buffalo 
in 1821. In 1855 the two miles of wharf at Detroit were hardly sufficient 
to accommodate the shipping of that port, but the steamboat business has 
of late years l)cen materially interfered with by the numerous lines of rail- 
road. In 1859 the total number of vessels navigating the waters of the five 
great lakes, which all paid some tribute to Michigan, was more than sixteen 
hundred, and their aggregate burthen was over four hundred thousand tons. 
They were manned by over thirteen thousand seamen, navigating over five 



COMMERCE. 127 

thousand miles of lake and river coast, and transporting over six hundred 
millions of exports and imports. To use the language of W. P. Strickland, 
the State of Michigan is the greatest lumber region in the world, not only 
on account of its interminable forests, but for getting its lumber product to 
market. With a lake coast, on the lower peninsula alone, of more than one 
thousand miles — with numberless water-courses emptying at convenient dis- 
tance's into her inland seas — she enjoys advantages which many empires 
might envy. Her wliite-winged carriers are sent to almost every point of 
the compass with the product of her forests, which, -N^herever it may go, is 
the sign of improvement and progress ; while by the large expenditures in- 
volved in the manufacture of lumber and the employment of thousands of 
hardy laborers, the general prosperity is materially enhanced and a market 
opened within her own borders for a considerable share of the productions 
of her own soil. In 1867, or two years after the rebellion, the total tonnage 
of the United States was 8,957,514, and the tt)tal amount assigned to the 
State of Michigan was 112,797, or to the district of Detroit 87,999, 
Mackinaw 2,703, Port Huron 14,()62, and the district known as Michigan 
9,488. 

Within the last few years the European consumers of grain and other 
jiroducts have been convinced that their Avants can be supplied with prompt- 
n(\ss, and to a large extent from the State of Michigan alone. Her resources 
are amply sufficient to afford employment for half a century to a tenf )ld 
larger number of vessels than have hitherto been employed. The f )r('ign 
ports to which shipments of lumber and staves have been made arc Liver- 
pool, Cork, Greenock, Glasgow, London, Hamburg, Cadiz, and Calais ; and 
to many of them large shipments have been made of fl-(jur and grain, but 
chiefly to Liverpool. Surrounded as it is on three sides by navigable waters, 
the State of jMichigan is favorably situated for carrying on an extensive 
commerce. The total lake trade of the State, valued at $30,000,000 in 1851, 
was in 1863 estimated at $65,000,000, notwithstanding the fact that the 
development of the gigantic railroads of the West has absorbed a large por- 
tion of the trade that would otherwise have been conducted through the 
lakes. The great mining district of the northern peninsula, to which as yet 
no railroad has been constructed, finds an outlet for its productions only 
through the lakes, and yearly adds a large quota to the already heavy com- 
merce of the State. The ship])ing, estimated in 1850 at 38,144 tons, was in 
1863 increased to upwards of 100,000 tons. The internal and transit trade 
of the State, by means of its railroads, etc., is also immense, and has been 
largely increased since the completion of the great Canadian lines of rail- 
road. 

As bearing directly upon the commerce of Michigan, the following gen- 
eral remarks respecting the later 'developments in the aspect of the country 
arc worthy of consideration : 

That section of the State known as the " Northern Peninsula," lying be- 
tween Lake Superior and Lake INIichigan is three hundred and sixty miles 
long, and from thirty-six to one hundred and twenty miles wide. This por- 
tion of the State is as yet comparatively unsettled, though its advantages 
are such as to induce a rapid immigration. The general surface is much 
diversified by mountains, hills, valleys, and plains. The eastern portion to 
the " pictured rocks," is undulating, rising gradually from the lakes to the 
interior, where it assumes the character of an elevated table-land. West- 
ward the country becomes broken into hills, with intervening plains, until 
it is interrupted by the Porcupine Mountains, which form the dividing ridge 
separating the waters of Lake Superior from those of Lake Michigan. The 



128 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

highest peaks toward the western boundary are from one thousand eight 
hundred to two thousand feet high. The ridge is often broken through by 
the larger streams, bordered by extensive valleys. The spurs of these moun- 
tains project in different directions, often exhibiting their denuded cliffs 
upon the northern shores. The greater portion of the peninsula, the sand 
plains excepted, is covered with inmiense forests, principally of white and 
yellow pine. Of the pine lands, there are millions of acres stretching be- 
tween the Saute de 6te. Marie and the Ontonagon and Montreal rivers. 
The country is abundantly supplied with water, and though none of the 
streams are large, yet they furnish immense power, and the means of inter- 
nal navigation. The head branches of those flowing in different directions 
frequently interlock. The lake coast of this section of the State is estimated 
at between seven hundred and eight hundred miles in length, and it is be- 
lieved that five-sevenths of the entire peninsula may be reached by the com- 
mon lake vessels. 

The " Southern Peninsula," which is four hundred and twelve miles long 
by from fifty to three hundred in width, has generally a level or rolling 
surface, in some parts broken and hilly. The eastern portion, for a distance 
varying from five to twenty-five miles from the shore, is almost a dead level, 
but westward the land rises into an irregular ridge, in some parts attaining 
the height of six hundred or seven hundred feet above the level. This ridge 
has much greater proximity to the eastern than to the western shore, and 
serves to separate the watei's flowing into the lakes on each side. The portion 
of the soutliern part of the State denominated hilly, branches off from the 
principal ridge in different directions through the adjoining country. The 
hills consist of an irregular assemblage of somewhat conical elevations, occa- 
sionally attaining the height of one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet, 
but ordinarily of not more than from thirty to forty feet. The main portion 
of the table-land passing westward to Lake INIichigau, with the exceptions 
noted, assumes a very gradual descent, exhibiting a gently undulating and 
very rarely broken surface. The ridge of land before spoken of again takes 
a rise near the mouth of Au Sauble river, and is seen from the lake to stretch 
on for many miles along and beyond the coast. It has been considered 
the highest land of the region, and is certainly the most rugged part of 
the lower peninsula. Taking the great extent of this peninsula into consid- 
eration, however, it may, in a comjjarative point of view, be said to possess 
a great evenness of surface, with a sufficient declivity, nevertheless, to allow 
the waters to drain off in lively and healthy streams. The coasts, both 
towards Lakes Michigan and Huron, arc sometimes exhibited in high, steep 
banks, and those of the former are frequently seen in bluffs and sand hills, 
varying from one hundred to three hundr^l feet in height. 

Among the citizens of Michigan who have long been paying special atten- 
tion to the geographical and other interests of the State of JNlichigan is Al- 
bert D. Kust, editor of the INIichigan Advance; and he has divided the re- 
sources of the State into five classes, as follows : 

1st. Mining. 2d. Fruit culture. 3d. Manufacture of salt. 4th. ]\Ianu- 
facture of lumber. 5th. Agriculture. He believes that the cultivation of 
the soil will eventually be the most independent and remunerative of all 
occupations. 

As the ship canal of St. Mary is now performing an important part in 
devcloi>ing the commerce of Michigan, the subjoined facts, taken from the 
inaugural message of Governor Baldwin, will be read with interest : 

The gross earnings of the canal for 1867 were §33,515.54. This was 
810,446 more than was received in 1866. Of this increase, $4,666.96 were 



COMMERCE. 129 

the result of the increase of the rate of tolls from 4 1 to 6 cents per ton 
upon the tonnage of steamers. 

The entire receipts for tolls for the year 1868 were 825,977.14; being 
$7,538.40 less than the year before. This foiling off was owing, in a great 
degree, to the exceedingly depressed condition of the copper mining interest. 

The canal had been in operation fourteen seasons prior to 18G9. Very 
considerable repairs had been made during the two preceding years, which, 
with those now being prosecuted, will place it in as good condition as the 
wear and tear of this length of time would allow. 

The board of control in 18G8 authorized it to be dredged, to clear it of 
the mud and stone which had been borne down by the ice and current. 
Three hundred feet of a new pier were to be built on the north side, at its 
western terminus. The valves of the lock gates and the slope walls were 
to be repaired and improved. These improvements to be made under the 
charge of tlie superintendent, during the winter months. 

This canal, though located in JMichigan and under State control, is a 
national work, and of great national importance. At the time of its pro- 
jection it was supposed to be of sufficient capacity for the transit of any 
vessels which the trade of Lake Superior would ever require, or which 
could pass through the shallow waters of the St. Clair Flats or the St, 
Mary river. 

For the removal of these river and lake obstructions Congress has made 
large appropriations, and the work is now in progress. 

Already the commerce which has been developed along the shores of 
Lake Superior has become so extended that the class of vessels which has 
been found most advantageous to be used in this trade cannot be loaded to 
their full capacity, for the lack of sufficient depth of water in the canal. 

The great Northwest is yet in its infancy. Population is pressing into 
the States and Territories with wonderful rapidity. A railroad is already 
being constructed from the JNIississippi, at St. Paul, to the head of Lake 
Sui^erior, (comijleted in 1870,) which, during the season of navigation, 
must make this canal the great outlet for the products of northern Wis- 
consin, IMinnesota, and the Territories beyond. Should the Northern 
Pacific railroad be constructed, Lake Superior would become emphatically 
the key to the Northwest, and thus this canal, as its outlet, of still greater 
national importance. 

Although this is a national work, Michigan — not alone the upper i)enin- 
sula, but the whole State — is deeply interested in its improvement, and in 
all that will tend to make it the great avenue of the trade of Lake Supe- 
rior and the Northwest. Since its construction, other avenues have been 
opened, through which no small portion of the trade and wealth of this 
region is being diverted to other States. 

As n(jt out of place in this connection, we submit a few particulars re- 
specting the indebtedness of the State. On the first of January, 18()7, the 
debt of Michigan amounted to 68,970,185, and in July, 1870, it had been 
reduced to 82,444,528. Besides this, the county and municipal debts of the 
State incurred during the late war, have been greatly reduced. There have 
also been large reductions in the rates of taxation. In 18G7, the apportioned 
taxes amounted to 8880,7.'>9, but before the close of 1868 they had been 
reduced to 8713,747 ; and in 1869 the. apportionment had been reduced to 
8465,264. The State derives its revenues from direct taxation, and also 
from specific taxes. The specific taxes are paid by railroads, mining com- 
panies. Masonic lodges, banks, insurance, and express companies, etc. 
These taxes yield annually an increasing revenue, which doe^ not come 
I 



130 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

directly from the pockets of the people, but from rich corporations ; and 
these taxes are devoted to paying the interest and principal of the State in- 
debtedness. The revenue from these specific taxes, in 1866, Avas 8101,606.88 ; 
in 1867, it was $251,325.42; 1868, $280,952.07; in 1869, the law taxing 
National bank shares having been pronounced by the courts illegal, it fell 
to $268,530.51. As the wealth of the State increases, the revenue from these 
sources must constantly grow, unless the rates are diminished. And the 
last report of the Auditor-General shows that, within another year, it is 
likely the specific taxes alone will yield sufficient revenue to provide for the 
State debt, so that the people may be entirely relieved of direct taxation on 
that account. "With regard to the Banking institutions of the State, we 
may mention that the National Banks number forty-two, and have a capi- 
tal of $5,535,000; State Banks two, with a capital of $200,000; and the 
private Banking Houses and Savings Institutions also number forty-two ; 
and there are in the State thirty Insurance Companies. 



THE INDIANS AND ANTIQUITIES OF THE STATE. 

As a matter of convenience, we submit in this place a few particulars 
respecting the Indians and the antiquities of Michigan. The total number 
of the former, consisting of Chippewas, Ottawas, and Pottowatamies, is 
about twelve thousand, among whom are located a few schools, supported 
by the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic denominations. 

The Government pays to these Indians annually, in cash annuities, about 
$40,000, and in goods $3,000. It also pays for the support of schools, for 
smiths and smith-shop supplies, and for agricultural and mechanical pur- 
poses, some $20,000, and f)r agency expenses, including salary of agent and 
assistant, pay of interpreters, etc., nearly $8,000. Thus, the annual dis- 
bursments for Indian purposes in the State amount to something over seventy 
thousand dollars. 

The Chippewas of Lake Superior mostly reside in Houghton county, 
near the head of Keweenaw bay. The Ottawas and Chippewas are prin- 
cij)ally in the counties of Oceana, I\Iason, Grand Traverse, Emmet, Che- 
boygan, Mackinaw, and Chij)pewa. Tlie Chippewas of Saginaw, Swan 
creek, and Black river, are mostly in the counties of Isabella and Bay. 
The Chippewas, Ottawas, and Pottowatamies arc in Cass and Van Buren 
counties, and the Pottowatamies of Huron are in Calhoun county. 

The early history of the State is replete with accounts of the labors of 
the old French missions. Many were the lives sacrificed and privations 
encountered by these men to win the native tribes to the standard of the 
cross. So long as the missionary was in their midst and superintended their 
labors, they yielded to his guidance and adopted his recommendations, so 
far, at least, as conduced to their comfort ; but when he withdrew, with 
equal facility they glided into their former habits. The superstructure 
raised with so mucli care fell to the ground the moment the sustaining hand 
was withdrawn. At present, with the exception of a few points in the 
u])j)er peninsula, there are to be found few traces of the Catholic religion 
among the Indians of the State. 

As a general thing, it is impossible to induce them to conform to the 
usages of civilized life, and, except in the manufacture of a few baskets 
and the supply of a few furs, we see no evidence of their industry. 

The effect of the contact of the two races has been to afford the Indian 
additional incentives to vice, while his intellectual and moral elevation has 



THE INDIANS AND ANTIQUITIES OF TIJE STATE. 131 

been little cadvanced ; and at this day, it cannot be said that he stands 
higher in the scale of civilization than ■when first known by the white man. 

With regard to the antiquities of the State of Michigan, it affords us 
pleasure to submit the following, which has been supplied to us by the 
writer : 

In common with her sister States of the great West, Michigan can boast 
of her antiquities, the undoubted remains' of a great people, who claimed for 
their land, long anterior to the so-called " aborigines " — a peojile of whom 
the earliest known Indians have no traditions. Of a precisely similar char- 
acter with the " tumuli," " forts," and " mounds" of the Ohio valley, are the 
ancient remains in Michigan, and in addition to these are the remains of 
ancient " gardens " — traces of which are found in no other portion of the 
continent so distinctly marked as those of southern Michigan. The ancient 
" mounds," the probable use of which has given rise to more controversy 
than any of the other antiquities of the country, are of quite frequent occur- 
rence in Michigan, being found in all parts of the State, especially ujion or 
near the banks of the large rivers — the St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, Grand, Rai- 
sin, and Huron. The so-called " forts " are but seldom met with, and are 
uniformly of small dimensions, the principal ones being in the southeast, 
along the shores of the Detroit, Huron, and Raisin rivers, and occasionally 
upon Lake Erie, between the Detroit and Maumee rivers. The gardens 
are found principally in the rich prairies and "oak-openings" of southern 
JMichigan, where their antiquity is clearly evinced by the fact that in the 
centre of the garden l)eds immense oa^k trees, evidently several hundred 
years old, are found growing. In the counties of St. Joseph, Cass, and Ber- 
rien, there are many of these ancient gardens still in excellent jireservation, 
and having undoubted traces of their original uses. 

In addition to tlie remains above alluded to, there are to be found in the 
great iron and copper mining regions of the northern peninsula, the most 
indisputable evidences that this region was once inhabited by a race supe- 
rior in every respect to the American Indians of the present day — a race 
that understood the mode of working and the value of metals. Tlie high 
antiquity of the evidences of ancient mining discovered by the present eoj)- 
per and iron miners of the Keweenaw, Ontonagon, and Marquette districts 
is inferred not only from the fact that the existing race of Indians were in 
perfect ignorance of the locality of the mines until pointed out by the whites, 
but that the ancient stone and metal tools discovered are entirely unlike 
anything now in use by the Indians in any part of the country. Still an- 
other evidence is had, as is the case wuth the gardens of southern Michigan, 
in the fact that trees of the largest size, evidently at least five hundred years 
old, are found growing upon the piles of rubbish that must have been thrown 
from the mines by the ancient miners. In the winter of 1847, while pass- 
ing over a poi'tion of the location now occupied by the Minnesota Mining 
Company, Mr. Samuel Knapp, the intelligent agent of the company, ob- 
served a continuous depression of the soil, whicli he rightly coujoc'tured was 
caused by the disintegration of a vein. There was a bed of snow on tlie 
ground three feet in depth, but it had been so little disturbed by the wind 
that it conformed to the inequalities of the surface. Following up these in- 
dications along the southern escarpment of the hill, where the company's 
Avorks are now erected, he came to a longitudinal cavern, into which he 
crept. He saw numerous evidences to convince him that this was an artifi- 
cial excavation, and at a subsequent day, with the assistance of two or tliree 
men, proceeded to explore it. In clearing out the rubbish they f mnd nu- 
merous stone hammers, showing clearly that they were the mining iraple- 



132 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

meuts of a past race. Tlic following spring he explored another excava- 
tion in the neighborhood, which was twenty-six feet deep, filled with clay 
and a mass of decayed vegetable matter. When he had penetrated to the 
depth of eighteen feet he came to a mass of native copper, ten feet long, 
three feet wide, and nearly two feet thick, weighing over six tons. On dig- 
ging around it the mass was found to rest on billets of oak, supported by 
sleepers of the same wood. The ancient miners had evidently raised the 
mass about five feet, and then abandoned it us too laborious. The vein was 
wrought in the form of an open trench, and where the copper was most 
abundant the excavation extended deepest. The rubbish taken from the 
mine is thrown out in mounds, which can easily be distinguished from the 
surrounding ground, and upon which large trees are now growing. In va- 
rious other localities of the northern peninsula the most convincing traces 
are discovered, that go to prove that the mines Avere extensively worked by 
an intelligent race — at least far more intelligent than the present Indians. 
The workings appear to have been efiected by the use of stone hammers and 
w^edges, specimens of which are to be found in the greatest abundance in the 
vicinity of the mines. In some instances there are traces of fire, and pieces 
of charcoal have been discovered, showing that fire was used as an agent to 
destroy the cohesion of the copper with the surrounding stone. Metallic 
hammers and knives have been discovered in the mines, though the instances 
are very rare, the copper being evidently carried to a distance, where it was 
fashioned into the rings and ornaments frequently found in the tumuli of 
the Ohio. The immense labor required to sink these ancient mines — fre- 
quently through several feet of solid rock — is another evidence that the 
present race of Indians, or any race of men possessing their characteristics, 
could not have perf:)rmed the work, fi)r ]io amount of personal benefit could 
induce tlie Indian to undergo such })hysical exertion. According to Pro- 
fessor J. W. Foster, these ancient miners were none other than the ]\Iound 
Builders, whose works arc known to be scattered throughout the entire 
Northwestern States, The specimens of their genius which we find in Mich- 
igan are generally small, varying in height from six to ten feet, and in rare 
instances reaching a height of twenty feet. Some of the most remarkable 
that have been noticed are in Girard township. Branch county, and in Rai- 
sin township, in the county of Lenawee. One of the latter was opened many 
years since and found to contain a mass of human bones. On the north side 
of Grand river, ten miles from its mouth, there is an ancient mound about 
ten feet high, with an immense pine tree, nearly one hundred feet high, 
growing from its apex, A mound in the vicinity was opened, and nothing 
found until the grcnind below was penetrated to the distance of about three 
feet below the original level, where were discovered a quantity of human 
bones, several pieces of iron three or four inclies long, several arrow lieads, 
some pieces of brass, and the remnant of a l)razen vessel much nuitihited. 
In the southwest corner of the county of Calhoun, on the north side of the 
St. Joseph river, is a semicircular fort two hundred feet in diameter, and 
another in the southeast corner of the county, of the same dimensions, with 
an embankment IVom one to three feet high. In the county of Wayne, in 
Springwells township, on the north bank of the Detroit river, is a fort of the 
circular or cllii)tical kind, with an embankment two or three feet in height, 
and encom])assing perluxps one acre, situated on firm land and surrounded 
by a swamp. On the east side, in approacliing tlie fi)rt, there are two par- 
allel embankments of earth, within a few feet of each other, rising four or 
five feet, and crossing the swamp in a direct A'me towards tlie fi)rt. Forts 
of the square or the rectangular kind are sometimes found. There is said 



RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. 133 

to be one two miles below the village of Marshall, one in the township of 
Prairie Roude, several on the Kalamazoo, and in some other places. In 
Bruce township, in the county of Macomb, on the north fork of the Clinton, 
are several. The latter consist mostly of an irregular embankment, with a 
ditch on the outside, and including from two to ten acres, with entrances, 
which were evidently gateways, and a mound on the inside opposite each 
entrance. In the vicinity there are a number of mounds. Several small 
mounds have been f )und on a blutf of the Clinton river, eight miles from 
Lake St. Clair. In sinking the cellar of a building for a missionary, sixteen 
baskets full of human b(mes were found of a remarkable size. Near the 
mouth of this river, on the east bank, are ancient works rejoresenting a for- 
tress, with walls of earth thrown up similar to those in Ohio and Indiana. 

In this connecti(m, after mentioning the fact that the popular name of 
Michigan is the Hoosier State, it may interest the reader to look at the 
meanings of the following Indian names associated with the State of Michi- 
gan : Kalamazoo, which means Loomitifj, or Wnragi river ; Numma-supee, 
or Kiver Raisin, River of Sturgeons; Minosa-goink, or River Rouge. Sinye- 
iiig Skin River ; Waweawtonong, or Detroit, Place ivliere you go roiuid the kuh 
in approaching ; Getchigomme, or Lake Superior, /Sea Water ; Etjuabaw, 
End of deep ivater; Wassawassepee, River ichere fish are speared by torch- 
light ; Iosco, Water of Light ; Keewenaw, or The canoe is carried back; Mus- 
kegon, or Marshy River; Moskego-sepee, or JNIoskegou, Marshy River; 
Pocagonk, The Rib River; Titebawassee, River that runs alongside; Ottawa, 
or The Traders; Tuscola, or Warrior's Prairie ; Xuudee Norgon, or Onto- 
nogon, ILuding River; Wrockumiteogoc, or Huron river, Clear Water; 
Owosso, Person warming himself; Cheboygan, or A place of metals; Nagaikur- 
Sebee, or River Ec(n-ce, Bark River ; Sac-e-nong, or Saginaw, Sac Town ; 
Michisawgyegan, or Lake Michigan, Great Lake; Manistee, or River with 
Islands; Chippewas, or Ojibways, The Ruling People ; INIackinaw, Place of 
Giant FaiHes, or Great Turtle; Washtenaw and AVashtenong, or Grand 
River, Running over Shining Pebbles; Shiawassee, or Strait Running ; Pow- 
etink, or Grand liaimh. Falling Waters; Powating, the Saute Ste. Marie, 
or Water Shalloxo on the Rocks; Yondotia, or Detroit, Great Town; and 
Cowthenake-Sepee, or Au Glaive river. Falling Tree River. According to 
J. H. Lanman, the Indian names which marked the prominent points of 
Michigan exhibit the mode in which the savages defined the topography of 
the country, and were used as land marks to guide them in their migra- 
tions. A general term, founded on a certain feature of natural scenery, 
was often used to designate a wide tract of territory. 

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. 

Under this heading we propose to speak of several distinct localities, 
which have been, and are at the present time, attracting the special atten- 
tion of the public, viz — the Grand Traverse Regi(m, the Saginaw A'alley, the 
Straits of ^lackinaw, and the Cheboygan Region. With regard to the first, 
Professor Alexander Winchell has declared it to be the most remarkable 
and desirable section of country in the Northwest, and as he is the only 
man who has thoroughly explored it, the value of his opinion cannot be 
(piestioned. In LSGU he publislied a report on its geological and inihistrial 
res;)urces, and it is from that jjroduction tiiat we gather the following par- 
ticulars : 

Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan, about thirtv-four miles 
long and of am[>le depth, and received its name from the French voyageurs. 



184 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

The region to which it has given its name is divided into five counties, viz: 
Antrim, Leelanaw, Grand Traverse, Benzie, and Kalkasca, the first three 
alone being contiguous to the Bay. The mean elevation of this country is 
two and thirty feet above Lake Michigan, and it is intersected with a great 
number of small and beautiful lakes and rivers of the purest water, and its 
surface is undulating and picturesque, and its low or swamp lands are not 
worthy of mention. Patches of clayey soil are not uufrequent, but a well- 
mixed sandy loam is the dominant soil on the hills, and their productive- 
ness is said to be unsurpassed. Generally speaking, the region is covered 
by a magnificent growth of hard-wood timber, the sugar maple being the 
most abundant species, although the beech, the white elm, the oak, poplar, 
birch, the hemlock, the cedar, white pine, and arbor vitoi are found to a 
considerable extent in certain localities. For the most part, these forests 
present an endless colonnade of majestic pillars, and, but for the prostrate 
forms of the fallen patriarchs of the wood, a vehicle could be driven 
through the unbroken fijrest from one end of the region to the other. All 
the quadrupeds and birds peculiar to the State are found in this particular 
section, and the common trout is abundant in its beautiful lakes and 
streams. Its geological formations are said to be unusually interesting to 
scientific men, and consist of lignite, drift, shales, various limestones, and 
salt — the last of which underlies the whole region. With regard to the 
farm products. Professor Winchell asserts that this region is capable of 
producing any crop wdiich flourishes in the Northwestern States and as far 
south as the latitude of Cincinnati. Winter wheat is the staple crop, and 
the yield varies from twenty-five to thirty bushels per acre. Corn grows 
well, and, gcuenilly speaking, reaches perfection. Oats are very profitable, 
yielding fifty bushels to the acre. Buckwheat also flourishes luxuriantly. 
The potatoes of the region cannot be excelled — will grow without culti- 
vation, and the yield is frequently three hundred bushels to the acre ; and 
timothy hay is always a successful crop. As a fruit-grov.-ing regi(;u it is 
doubtful whether any other part of the United States will compete with 
this — the apple, peach, pear, plum, cherry, grape, and all the more common 
berries attaining the greatest perfection. According to the latest estimates, 
the po2)ulation of the region is not fixr from ten thousand ; and, although 
ample access is had to it by propellers from all the lake ports, it cannot be 
long before it will be easily reached by means of all the usual land com- 
munications. Beyond all controversy, writes Professor Winchell, the 
Grand Traverse Region ofl'ers stronger attractions to capital and settlement 
than any other portion of the State, or of the entire Northwest. Even the 
mighty forest, which has to be felled before the farmer can avail himself of 
the soil, is probably less of a detriment than an advantage. Besides in- 
suring him an inexhaustible supply of fuel, for the labor of cutting; be- 
sides furnishing him with a merchantable commodity in the form of cord 
wood, upon whicli he can realize for each day's work ; besides protecting 
him and his stock and crops from the severity of the wintry blast — the 
forest itself is a source of food to horses and cattle, both in sunnner and 
winter. And it is a cheering fact that the religious and educational 
accommodations have kept pace with the development of the region. 

Professor Winchell, in his report, makes an allusion to the Sand-Dunes, 
which form consj)icu()Us landmarks along the western coast of southern 
Michigan, although not a prominent feature in the Grand Traverse Kegion. 
They consist of irregular heaps of sand wliich have been accumulated by 
the whids blowing in a ctrtain direction upon specific shores. While the 
dunes of Cape C )d seldom measure, more than eighty feet, those of ^liehi- 



RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. 135 

gan sometimes measure more than u hundred feet. It is generally found, 
too, that they assume a Ice and strike side, — the gentle and long sl()i)e being 
to the windward, and the steep aeclivity towards the sheltered portion. The 
Sleeping Bear and I'ointe Aux Chenes, near the foot of Lake JNIichigan, are 
couspieuous examples of these duue-like formations, while at the head, at 
New Buffalo and iMichigan City, they are equally conspicuous. All these 
dunes are f )uud to be moist to within a few feet of' the surface, and hence 
become clothed with vegetation, of which the peric tribe is the most observ- 
able. If, down to the present time, tlu^ ingenuity of man has not been able 
to make them useful, it is a source of thankfulness that they have not done, 
and are not doing, any particular harm. 

With regard to the Saginaw Valley, we may begin by saying that its 
inhabitants claim it to be the hirgest and most valuable tract of timbered 
country in the world. The bay and river which bear the same name have 
long been distinguished for their natural attractions, and have an abundance 
of water to satisfy all the denuinds of navigation. From the earliest time 
the surrounding region has been famous as a seat of the fur-trade, and its 
earliest white inhabitants were two Indian traders, named Louis Campau 
and John B. Cushway. It was first settled by agricultural emigrants about 
the year 1836, but did not make any advances in enterprise until 1850, when, 
under the leadership of Charles Little and his son Norman Little, an ex- 
tensive lumber trade was commenced, and all the steps taken to secure the 
numifold advantages born of active business and high ideas of education. 
Its leading town, originally named Bucna Vista, but now called East Sagi- 
naw, was incorporated as such in 1859, and is already known as a ship- 
building place of importance, giving profitable employment l)esides to 
large nund)crs of men connected with the lumber-trade and various kinds 
of wood and iron manufactures; and it is connected with Detroit by steam- 
boat lines and a well conducted railway. The next town in importance is 
Saginaw City, which is mainly dependent f »r its prtjsperity upon the salt 
interest, which has its centre here. The packing and shipping of salt has 
progressed so rapidly that a large proportion of the Northwestern States look 
to Michigan for their supply ; and by several of the highest authorities of the 
country, the salt manufactured in the Saginaw Valley has been pronounced 
of the most superior quality, forty gallons of brine yielding fifty -six pounds 
of salt, which is a larger per centage than the yield of the Syracuse salt works. 
There is, perhaps, no region in the State where there is less actual waste 
land than in Saginaw. Wherever it is cleared and proi)erly cultivated it 
])roves to be of unsurpassed fertility. The proximity of the heavy tindiered 
lands to a ready market for lumber, affords a rich reward for the toil and 
lal)or of clearing. The immense oak and pine timber finds a ready sale, 
while the less valuable varieties, when cut up for fuel, are needed by the 
salt manufacturers, who pay remunerating prices. The denuind for this 
purpose alone is immense, and must increase until the country is stripped 
of its f trests. These advantages arc not overlooked by those who are in 
search of new homes in JMichigan, and the consequence is that there Ls an 
active demand for lands for farming purposes. 

We may add, in this connection, that the gypsum beds located on the 
Bay of Saginaw are being rapidly developed, and becoming of great value 
to the State. In 1868 there were shipi^ed from that locality twenty thou- 
sand tons of crude gypsum, and two thousand barrels of calcined gypsum, 
while the yield of the CJrand Kai)ids l)ed amounted to 41,720 tons of the 
cruile and 116,6;)0 pounds of calcined gypsum. 

From Mr. Albert D. Bust, who resides in the Saginaw Valley, and is 



136 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

devoting his energies as an editor and citizen to the development of that 
portion of the State, we have received the subjoined information : 

This region is quite well adapted to agricultural purposes, but will ulti- 
mately be more of a grazing country, than one for raising grain. 

It is a very remarkable circumstance that IMichigan did, a good many 
years ago, get the reputation of being sterile and unhealthy, and so general 
was the imj^ression that this reputation was given in the descriptive geog- 
raphies ; but, so far from this being the fact, the case is, that for the last 
five or eight years Michigan has increased in population and celel)rity more 
rapidly than ever before. Amongst the best wheat in the New York mar- 
ket may be found IMichigan wheat ; the best quality and greatest abundance 
of fruits is from Michigan. No State is less subject to fatal diseases. To 
be sure, the fever and ague did prevail there in some parts several years ago ; 
but that disease is scarcely known there now, save in a few localities; as in 
other new States, it has come and gone forever. 

The winter is not severe ; it is much less so than in other States in the 
same latitude east. Sleighing does not appear usually until January, 
and lasts about three months. There is snow enough to make it pleasant 
and good for business. The rivers break up the first of April. The mer- 
cuiy seldom ever goes below ten degrees below zero, and frequently not as 
low as zero. We think that this part of the State is better adajited for 
comfortable homes than other Western States. Almost all kinds of busi- 
ness found in any country may be followed in Saginaw Valley. 

We come now to speak of the Straits of Mackinaw. This locality is cer- 
tainly remarkable, and its early history has already been touched upon in 
the first part of the present volume. It is the centre of that great chain of 
lakes and rivers, which Avell-nigh divides the continent. The three largest 
lakes of the system, Superior, JMiehigan, and Huron, are spread around, 
pointing to this spot, while between them, three vast peninsulas of land press 
down upon the waters until they are compressed into a river only four miles 
in width. On the north is the peninsula of Canada, on the south that of 
Michigan, and on the west that of the Copper Region. Here they are 
divided only by the Straits of ]\Iackinaw. Land and water, by au inevita- 
ble necessity, seem to centre here, the navigable waters covering an area of 
eighty thousand square miles, and surrounded by a continuous coast of five 
thousand miles. The climate has been f()und to be as favorable as that of 
most civilized States, either f jr the production of food or the pursuits of 
commerce; and as to the productive wealth of the vast country which they 
drain it has been fully demonstrated by a number of scientific writers to be 
unsurpassed in any other quarter of the world. With these facts before us, 
we can begin to comprehend the remarkable enterprise of Edgar Conkling 
in attempting to found a commercial emporium on the Straits of Mackinaw, 
which, if carried out, Avill perpetuate his name, as a man of mind and com- 
mercial courage, fin- ages to come. At this point, according to, that able 
and sound reasoner, Edward D. ]\lans(ield, as well as at the ujiper end of 
Lake Superior, there must be large cities to supply the demands of com- 
merce. It is not a matter of speculation, but a necessity of nature. The 
same necessity has already created Bufialo, Toledo, Detroit, Chicago, and 
St. Louis. Tlie demand for such towns on the shores of Lakes Huron and 
Supcri(jr, and o.<i)ecially at the Straits of Mackinaw, whose Bay and Lake 
^licliigan How together, are obviously fiir greater than those which have 
already caused the growth of BulJalo and Ciiicago. They have grown to 
supply the commerce of conqniratively limited di^<tl•i(•ts. One means of test- 
ing this is to apply radial lines to the site of any city existent or proposed, 



RECENT DEVELOPiMENTS. 137 

SO as to include what naturally belongs to them, and thus compare them 
with one another. The radial lines of New York and Philadelphia extend 
across the ocean to Europe on one hand, and across the mountains to the 
Valley of the Mississippi on the other. In looking to this fact we are no 
longer surprised that New York has its million of inhabitants, and Phila- 
dcl|)hia its six hundred thousand. 

If we look to the radial lines of Chicago we find that they are limited on 
the south by the competition of St. I-iouis and on the north by Milwaukee. 
Yet Chicago, at the southern end of Lake Michigan, has risen to be a large 
city by a sudden aud extraordinary growth, arising from the rich though 
Hunted country about it. Apply these radial lines to Mackinaw and we 
find that they naturally include all of Michigan, a large part of Wisconsin, 
and a large part of Canada West; but in reference to water navigation no 
interior site in America is equal to that of ]\Iackinaw. Here concentrate 
the navigation of eighty thousand square miles of water surface, which has 
no common centre but that of the Straits of Mackinaw. Two facts nuist be 
observed : that a conmiercial ])oint which concentrates the trade of Lakes 
Superior and Michigan must lie within the circuit of their coasts; but there 
is no such jMHut but Mackinaw. The other is that the point of conmierce 
which oticrs the shortest distance, and therefore the cheapest to the great 
markets of the xitlantic will be preferred. Mackinaw is five hundred miles 
nearer to Buffalo than is Fond du Lac, and three hundred miles nearer than 
Chicago. So it is the same distance nearer to the Gulf of St. Lawrence or 
the city of New York. It is on the south side only, through the peninsula 
of Michigan, and toward the States of Indiana and Ohio, that the position 
of Mackinaw seems deficient in connuuuications. But we no sooner see this 
than we see also two groat lines of railroad progressing from the South 
through the peninsula toward Mackinaw. The oue })asses on the west side 
from Fovt Wayne (Indiana) through Grand Rapids and Traverse Bay; 
the other through Lansing and And)oy, both terminating on the north at 
]\Iackinaw, and both, by connection with Indiana aud Ohio roads, at Cin- 
cinnati on the south ; thence they will soon be carried to the orange-grow- 
ing shores of Florida. Thus nuiy some future traveller be borne in a few 
hours from the soft air of the southern Atlantic to the keen breezes of the 
North and bathe his languid lind)s in the clear cold waters of IMichigan. 

These, together with numy others of like character, are the considerations 
which induced Mr. Conkling (formerly a citizen of Cincinnati) to undertake 
his gigantic enterprise. It was in 1853 that he purchased a large tract of 
land, consisting of the extreme northern point of the southern peninsula of 
^lichigan, where he has laid out a town aud sea})ort which he named ]\[ack- 
inaw City; and although the financial troubles of l-S.')! and the sul)s(>(juent 
war for the Union did nmch to retard his various i)lans, he is now devoting 
his best energies ami amj)le means, under the most efficient and liberal 
])olicy that it is possible to devise, for the varied interests, moral and mate- 
rial, of all who may settle there. The city has three safe and commodious 
harbors, and everything is being done to make it a profitable and agreeable 
phice of residence; aud a leading idea of the i)roprietor is to establish at 
tliis point an educational institution cijual to the wants of the country. On 
this point he has comnuuiicated to us the following: 

" In view of the increasing population of this country, and their needed 
increased intelligence to rightly develop it, and to i)romote their intellectual 
aud moral hapi)iness, the proprietor takes great pleasure in carrying out a 
long-cherished purpose of recognizing his obligation to forego the usual 
'uerely selfish accumulatiou and a[)pro[)riation of personal gains, and to 

1 * 



138 OIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

participate in the future glory of this the grandest country and Government 
of the world, by pledging the principal avails of this large and valuable 
property of near 5,000 acres to provide for the building up and endowment 
of a su])erior ' University,' with common school branches, for the free edu- 
cation of the present and future generations of this locality, Avho must take 
part in ruling the destinies of the world. 

" He has determined that the free educational facilities of Mackinaw City 
shall not be excelled by any other city of this country, and shall be 
worthy of the State and a commercial centre so highly endowed by nature, 
second only to Detroit within Michigan, and equalled but by few lake cities. 

" Thus the proprietor, in voluntarily becoming a mere trustee for the citi- 
zens of Mackinaw City, presents the most powerful incentive to invite an 
intelligent, enterprising, and wealthy population not only to enjoy all the 
superior natural advantages of the city and its surroundings, but also to 
enjoy the educational fund arising from the purchase of their homes and the 
value of the property resulting from their own enterjarise and capital in 
building up an important city." 

Another of the later developments which have taken place within the 
limits of the State is that of the Cheboygan region, and f)r the only satis- 
factory account of it that can be had, we are indebted to Professor N. H, 
Winchell, of Ann Arbor. A report that he published of this region in 
18G9 is so full of interest that we subjoin a large proportion of it, as fol- 
lows : 

The Indian word (Chab-wa-e-gun) of which Cheboygan is a corruption, 
signifies place of ore, but it is not known why the Indians so named tliis 
region, the river or the lake. No ore to justify the name has yet been dis- 
covered. 

The Cheboygan and its tributaries comprise the most northern river 
system of the lower peninsula, its outlet into Lake Huron being within 
nine miles of the latitude of the Straits of Mackinac. Several of the trib- 
utaries rise as far south as the mouth of Thunder liay river, in the heighth 
of land of Otsego county, where also rise the Saul)le and the Manistee, two 
of the largest rivers of Michigan, while from east to west this system spans 
the whole peninsula, its most western source being within a quarter of a 
mile of the head of Little Traverse Bay. There is not a more beautiful 
cluster of connected inland lakes to be found in the State, or in any other 
State, than those which find outlet through the Clieyboygan. Mullett 
Lake, within ten miles of Lake Huron, covers about thirty square miles, or 
19,200 acres; Burt's Lake, extending twelve miles further w'cst, covers 
about the same area ; Crooked Lake, eight niiles still farther west, about 
ten square miles, or G,400 acres ; Douglass Lake, with the small lakes 
adjoining, about twelve square miles, or 7,680 acres, and Cheboygan Lake, 
about twenty-five square miles, or 16,000 acres. The water of these lakes 
is clear and pure, and contains an abundance of excellent fish. The 
famous "speckled trout" finds its favorite haunts in tliese waters, and for 
si)ortiiig fishermen there is no more attractive region in the United States, 
The district occupied by these lakes, stretching from the head of Little 
Traverse Bay eastward across the State, is dry, elevated, and covered with 
hard wood timber; and hence the shores of tlie lakes arc rarely low or 
iiiarsliy. The streams which connect them generally flow with a smooth 
and steady current. There are rai)ids, however, in Cheboygan river, about 
a mile above its mouth, W'here water-power mills for lumbering and for 
flouring |)urposes luive been erected. A substantial canal and lock at this 
place, constnictetl by pcrmissitju of the State Legislature, to aid in the pas- 



RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. 139 

sage of these rapids, and the dam above, somewhat impede the navigation 
of the river, as they are regulated by the local convenience of the mana- 
gers. Yet their capacity is sufficient to permit the i)assage of tugs and 
scows of any size caj)able of navigating the river. In Black river, below 
Cheboygan lake, occurs a series of rapids, which extend for three miles, 
having an aggregate descent of between fifty and sixty feet. This water 
()i)wer has not yet been improved. The country adjacent is somewhat 
settled by farmei's, but it is generally an unbroken wilderness. Black 
river, above Cheboygan lake, also contains rai)ids in which there is a per- 
l)endicular fall, in some places of four or five feet. These occur from six to 
ten miles abt)ve the lake. At this place the bed of the river consists of 
limestone rock in situ, but at the rapids below Cheboygan lake, few rocks 
are visible, except metamorphic boulders. 

The soil and timber of the Cheboygan region are such as promise to make 
it, when cleared, one of great agricultural resources. The soil varies within 
short intervals, so that a single farm may possess such a diversity of soils as 
to adapt it to the culture of a large variety of products. The i)revailing 
leatui'e of the soil of the region is a silico-calcareous sand ; yet there are 
places, especially along the branches of the river below Mullett and Che- 
l>ny-an Lakes, and extending to the site of the village of Cheboygan, where 
the clayey element is most prominent. The soil in some places is a copper- 
coh)red clayey loam ; in others it is a black vegetable loam, resembling the 
prairie soil of Illinois. AVhere the sandy constituent and the clay or loanv 
become mixed, as they frequently do, a very superior soil for agricultural 
purposes results. Much of the country is rolling, especially where the clayey 
soil predominates, while the sandy tracts are generally level. There is occa- 
sionally also a patch of marly soil, which when plowed crumbles in the 
atmosphere. Soil of this kind occurs on the east and north shores of Mul- 
let Lake. Calcareous marl is often found also in the bed of the lakes, 
sDmetimes in the form of pebbly reefs or islands. The carbonate of lime is 
deposited from the ■\vater on little fresh water shells, (iY«nor6i,s,) and as they 
;;re rolled by the ripples they increase in size till they become as large as 
walnuts. Sometimes they become crushed and form a calcareous sand, or 
eventually a calcareous marl, which is useful not only as a fertilizer of the 
soil, and for making lime, but is sometimes mixed directly with sand to form 
an inferior mortar, or with water to form a whitewash. 

The most common trees, off the river margins and the low lands, are beech, 
maple, pine, and hemlock, with occasional oaks and elms. The white ])ine 
occurs principally along the streams, where it is mixed with otiier timber, 
most frequently with hemlock or Norway pine. The Norway pine alone 
often forms extensive orchard-like tracts on the sandy plains. Another 
common but Avorthlcss species of pine, known among the lumber-men as 
"])itch i)ine" or "spruce pine," is a scattered, straggling tree, never exceed- 
ing ten inches in diameter, properly called Bank's pine, (Pt«H,« Banksiana.) 
The beech and maple, as well as the elm, sometimes grow to stately dimen- 
sions, while the oaks are generally snuill. Of course, the country furnishes 
other less noticeable species of timber, as iron-wood, poplar, balm of Gilead, 
white birch, ash, and bass, while the ever-present cedar, larch, and spruce, 
of the northern latitudes, fill up the low lands. There is no butternut, hick- 
ory, or black-walnut ; no whitewood or chestnut. 

The settlement of such a region, of course, is not entirely dependent on or 
controlled by the lumber interest. Although initial impulse nuiy have been 
(XxxQ to this interest, yet the settlement of the Cheboygan region has outgrown 
it, and has develo^ied other and more i>ermaneut elements of prosperity. 



140 CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Permanency in a new settlement must be based upon some lasting and 
important resource. In the Cheboygan region, strangely enough, that re- 
source is, or will soon become, chiefly agricultural. The country is rapidly 
filling up with farmers. 

The farmers raise oats, potatoes, corn, wheat, in short, almost anything 
that can be raised in southern Michigan, though not always with the same 
certainty. Having but recently settled on their farms, their efforts are 
mainly expended in the improvement of them, and in the production of a 
winter's subsistence for themselves and their stock. Some of the farmers 
told the writer that they had raised wheat, even forty bushels to the acre, 
and that it was always a sure crop. One old settler of sixteen years ago, 
Mr. E. A. Dodge, on Mullet Lake, raises, together with the products of 
the farm, garden vegetables for the Cheboygan market. In his garden 
were strawberries, lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage, onions, etc., and in an 
adjoining field he had young apple and cherry trees, and several choice 
varieties of grapes. 

Another farmer said he raised from three-fourths of a bushel of winter 
wheat a crop of forty bushels ; and from ten bushels of spring wheat he re- 
ceived two hundred and sixty-three bushels. The cultivation of wheat has 
not been carried on heretofore, owing to the lack of a flouring-mill ; and it 
was not until the past season that such a mill was supplied. 

Cheboygan village contains about 800 inhabitants ; stands on a clayey 
soil ; has several stores, two churches, and three hotels. Above the village, 
fields of wheat, grass, potatoes, oats and peas line the river banks, the land 
on both sides being well cleared. In the channel of the river are twelve 
feet of water, but the entrance to the river is choked by a bar of clay and 
b(juldcrs. This obstruction for a number of years impeded the growth of 
the place, by shutting off communication with jjassing steamers. The 
officers of the lake survey have made preliminary examination and esti- 
mates for the dredging of a channel through this bar. 

Should this imj)rovement be carried out, nothing can prevent the Che- 
boygan region from becoming one of the most wealthy and important por- 
tions of the Lake Huron shore. 



Note for page 87. 
After the brief allusion to the Masonic order, it was intended, as a matter of historical 
courtesy, to mention the Order of Odd-Fellows in connection with Michigan, and we do 
it in this place. The date of introduction in the Slate was the year 1844 ; the first and 
second lodges having been instituted at Detroit; the third at Pontiac; the fourth at 
Jackson ; and the fifth at Marshall. The various patriarchal branches were also estab- 
lished in the same year. The Order has progressed rapidly in the State, many of its 
best citizens taking an interest in its success; so that at the present time the total 
number of lodges is 107 ; the number of members, 7,2()7 ; amount of receipts during the 
last year, §41,749; and the amount expended for brothers and widows, $7,221. 

Note for page 107. 
It is too soon as yet to give the result of the census for 1 870, but for purposes of refer- 
ence the following facts are submitted respecting the nativities of the population of 
Michigan in 1800: Michigan, 2[)4,828 ; New York, 101,128; German States, 38,787 ; Brit- 
ish America, 36,482; Ohio, 34,000: Ireland, 30,049; England, 25,743; Pennsylvania, 
17,4(J0; Vermont, 13,779; Massachusetts, 9,873; Connecticut, 7,039; New Jersey, 7,531 ; 
Holland, 6,335; Scotland, 5,705; Indiana, 4,482; New Hampshire, 3,482; France, 
2,440; Maine, 2,214; Virginia, 2,17G; Illinois, 2,167; Wisconsin, 1,908; Switzerland, 
1,209; Rhode Island, 1,122; and Kentucky, 1,054; the difference between the above 
figures and the total population of 749.113 having been bora in a great variety of States 
and countries. It is supposed that the census of 1870 will exhibit the same ratio, but 
a total population nearly twice as large. 



SECOND FART. 



HISTOHY OF 

MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION, 

BY 

General JOHN ROBERTSON. 



HISTORY OF 

MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



MILITARY DEPARTMENT OF MICHIGAN— 1861 to 1871. 



Austiu Blair, 
Henry II. Crapo, 
H. P. Baldwin, 
John Robertson, 
J. H. Fountain, 
Wni. Hammond, 
Orriu N, Giddings 
Friend Palmer, 
James E. Pittman 
James E. Pittman 
Russell A. Alger, 
DeWitt C. Gage, 
L. S. Trowbridge, 
Hebcr Lc Favour 
DeGarmo Jones, 
Fred. Morley, 
Friend Palmer, 
Eb. O. Grosvenor, 
Wm. Hammond, 
John F. Miller, 
Jerome Croul, 
James A. Dwight 
David H. Jerome 
H. A. Newland, 
Ch. J. Dickerson, 
Jas. W. Romevn, 
William Phelps, 
Milo E. Giffbrd, 
Alfred B. Wood, 
G. S. Wormer, 
Wm. K. Gibson, 
Eugene Pringle, 
Isaac Delano, 
Thomas J. Cobb, 



Jackson, 

Flint, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

]\Ian Chester 

Tckonsha, 

Kalamazoo, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

E. Saginaw, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Jonesville, 

Tekonsha, 

Ann Arbor, 

Detroit, 

Ypsilanti, 

Saginaw, 

Detroit, 

Hillsdale, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Plainwell, 

E. Saginaw, 

Detroit, 

Jackson, 

Jackson, 

Flint, 

Flint. 



Gov.C'm-in-Cf Jan. 

" " jJan. 

" " Jan. 

Adj. General, Mar. 
Q. M. General,! A pri 
Mar. 



Paymaster, 
Insp. General, 



1, 
1, 
1, 
15, 
1, 
25, 
Mar. 21, 
^lar. 2(), 
May 21, 
Nov. 1, 
Mar. 21, 
Mar. 10, 



1S61 Dec. 81, 
1865; Dec. 31, 
1809 In office. 
1861 In office. 
1861 1 Mar. 25, 
18631 Mar. 20, 
1865 j Mar. 25, 
1867! In office. 

1861 i Nov. 1, 

1862 Mar. 21. 



Judge Adv 

" April 17 
Ass. Adj.Gen.A})ril 1 
June 15 



1867 
1865 
1869 



1864 
1868 



1863 

1865 
1867 

1862 
1867 



A. Q. M. Gen 
Aid-de-Camp, 



Mav 6, 



Mil. Secretarj' 



May 17, 
May 15, 
May 15, 
May 15, 
May 15, 
Oct. 
Mar. 
Mar. 
Mar. 
May 
May 
April 17, 
April 17, 
Aj)rill7, 
May 15, 
Sept. 13, 
Mar. 10, 
Sept. 16, 



11, 
26, 
10, 
25, 
10, 



In office. 
April 17, 
In office. 

1861 'June 14, 

1861 'Mav 5, 

1862! 31 ar, 

1861; Mar. 

1861 1 Mar. 

1861 Mar. 

1861 1 Mar. 

1861 j Mar. 10, 
1863; Mar. 10, 
1865 1 Mav 10, 
1865 April 17, 
1865 In office. 
1865 April 17, 
1867 April 17, 
1869 In office. 
1869 In office. 
1869, In office. 
1861 'Sept. 13, 

1862 Mar. 10, 
1865 'Sept. 16, 
1865 Dec. 31, 



1861 
1862 
1865 
1867 
1865 
1863 
1865 
1865 
1865 
1867 
1869 

1869 
1869 



1862 
1865 
1865 
1868 



144 



HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



FROM 



F. G. Eussell, 
A. S. Williams, 
A. W. Williams, 
H. M. Whittlesey, 
C W. Lcffingwell, 
John Robertson, 
J. H. Fountain, 
Wm. M. Fenton, 
E. II. Thomson, 
Eb. O. Grosvenor, 
John F. Miller, 
James E. Pittman, 
Wm. Hammond, 
Jerome Croul, 
N. B. Eldridge, 
Omar D. Conger, 
A. T. Grossman, 
James A. Dwight, 
David H. Jerome, 
Henry L. Hall, 
S. M.X'utcheon, 
J. H. Edwards, 
David Wallace, 
Geo. G. Wilcox, 
Edw. ]M. tSimons, 
Frank G. Baker, 
Phillip M. Crapo, 
David S. Snow, 
Wm. K. Noble, 
Wm. J. Handy, 
William Hart,' 
Darwin W. Pratt, 
Frank S. Clark, 
J. T. Hammrmd, 
J. A. Fairfield, 
Frank G. Baker, 
T. F. Giddings, 
Thomas Kiley, 



Detroit, 

Deti-oit, 

Lansing, 

Detroit, 

Gr. Rapids, 

Detroit, 

Manchester 

Flint, 

Flint, 

Jonesville, 

Ann Arbor, 

Detroit, 

iTekonsha 

Detroit, 

Lajieer, 

Port Huron, 

Flint, 

Ypsilanti, 

Saginaw, 

Hillsdale, 

Ypsilanti, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Flint, 

Flint, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Adrian, 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Tekonsha 

Detroit, 

Detroit, 

Kalamazoo, 

Detroit, 



Ste.Mil.Board 



April 17, 
Mar. 11, 
Mar. 11, 
Mar. 11, 
Mar. 11, 
Mar. 15, 
April 1, 
June 17, 
Aug. 13, 
Sept. 19, 
Sept. 19, 
19, 
31, 
31, 
31, 
6, 
0, 
23, 



Cl'kA.G.offic 



Sept 
I Jan. 
Jan. 
{Jan. 
I Dec. 
Dec. 
May 
Mar. 11 
Mar. 5 
Jan. 19 
Dec. 
April, 
June, 
June, 
July, 
Feb'y, 
March, 
August, 
Jan'y, 
June, 
Sept. 
Jan. 
Mar. 
" I Feb'y, 
" I May, 
" ISept., 
State Armorer j April, 
• I 



Clk Q.M.Dept 



18G9 In office. 
1859 Sei)t. 19, 
1859;Ai)ril25, 
1859, Sept. 19, 
1859 'Sept. 19, 
1861! Jan. 1<^' 
1861 Jan. 
1861 Aug 
1861 Dec. 
1861 Mar 

1861 Jan. 
1861 1 Dec. 

1862 Mar. 25, 
1862 In office. 
1862 Dec. 6, 
1862 'Jan. 19, 
1862 In office. 
1864:]\rar. 11, 
1865 In office. 
18671 In office. 
1869 In office. 

1862 Dec. 
1863 'Aug. 

1863 In office. 

1863 May, 

1864 Sept., 
1865! Dec, 

1865 ]\Iarch, 

1865 June, 

1866 April, 
1861 .Alarch, 

1863 Nov., 

1864 April, 
1864 .May, 
1864 April, 
18(;4 July, 
l865^Nov., 
1862: In office. 



1861 
1861 
1861 
1861 
1862 
1862 
1861 
1862 
1865 
1862 
1862 
1863 

1862 
1869 

1865 



1864 
1865 

1866 
1865 
1867 
1867 
1867 
1869 
1864 
1863 
1867 
1865 
1864 
LS()4 
1865 



PREFATORY NOTES. 

Michigan, by her love for the "Old Flag," by her loyalty and patriotism, 
by her great and bloody sacrifice, and by the unbounded zeal and liberality 
of her people in the cause of the Union, esjx'cially by the bravery, efficiency, 
and great prowess of her troops in the field, has acquired an exalted position 
among her sister States, and is justly the recipient of much credit for her 
part in suppressing the rebellion. 

The propriety and duty of having an authentic hi-storical record of the 
part borne in that sanguinary struggle liy her soldiers and people, and which 
has made her fame so national in tliis respect, will be universally admitted. 



PREFATORY NOTES. ]45 

The groat necessity f.)r a published work embracing as mucli ns p^nsible 
of the subject had impressed tlie mind of the compiler so long and so forci- 
bly, and the matter failing to receive the attention of others, induced, and 
it may be said, compelled him, from a sense of duty to the State and her 
troops in the late war, to attempt its production. 

In undertaking it, he is fully aware that much more responsibility has 
l)een assumed than is successfully or satisfactorily met, and he is very sen- 
sible of the fact that the subject ought to have fallen in more capable 
hands. 

For the defects, errors, or omissions, which unavoidably occur in a work 
of this description, the compiler trusts that he will be excused or pardoned, 
in consideration of an honest and anxious desire, and a most earnest en- 
deavor to effect the purpose he had in view. 

In its arrangement, it has been deemed best, for several reasons, to refrain 
from the introduction of biographical matter, and from referring to any of 
the causes to which the war is chargeable, as neither could have been in- 
cluded without extending the work beyond the i)roposed linnt, or reducing 
nnich the narrative of special services of regiments, which was not desirable. 

The compilation has, in the main, been made from the records of the 
State military departments, the written reports of commanding officers of 
regiments, and other official papers, consequently the work is presumed to 
be substantially accurate and reliable, and is as full as circumstances would 
jiermit. 

It is necessarily a condensed and very brief narrative of the operations 
of Michigan in the war of the rebellion, and giving only v^ery limited sketches 
of a few of the engagements of her brave regiments in the field, merely 
glancing at some of the more prominent encounters with the enemy in their 
long and varied service. To include more at this time has been deemed 
impracticable ; yet, as these special selections are truthfully characteristic 
of their entire conflicts in the war, conclusions may easily be arrived at as 
to what they were in generaL 

They arc sketches of the part taken by the regiments in encounters with 
the enemy, in which they were specially or heavily engaged, or conspicu- 
ously distinguished, illustrating in a degree their fighting qualities and gen- 
eral efficiency. In their selection, commandants of regiments have uni- 
formly been consulted, and the data from which the sketches are drawn 
were mostly supplied by them, to whom, and thejMichigan officers generally, 
the compiler is under many obligations for reports and other documents 
covering particular operations of their respective regiments, which have aided 
much in their preparation. 

No attempt is made to claim for Michigan, or for her troops, any particular 
or special merit, or more than an equal credit with all other States and their 
troops for the part taken by them in the war for the Union. For it must 
be conceded that in all the times that shall come claims cannot be success- 
fully sustained by any particidar State for any special portion of the honor 
of preserving the Union, All that any can reasonably undertake and 
a(!complish in this respect will be to truthfully represent as far as possible 
their own action, and the services rendered by their troops, there leaving 
the matter. 

If any particular battle could be selected and designated as the action in 
which the backbone of the rebellion was broken and finally suj)prcssed, then, 
on a comparison of the services of the troops of the various States in that 
engagement, a verdict might possibly be rendered ; but no such selection 
can be made nor any such conclusion arrived at. For all time it must be 
J 



14G HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

decided that the Rebellion was not destroyed in any single battle, hut by tlie 
continued hammering of the entire Union armies during the four long years 
of fearful and bloody war; and the accursed and hideous monster was 
beaten, bafilcd, starved, worn to a helpless skeleton, and then, while in the 
act of begging for bread and quarter, was toppled over into its .selected rest- 
ing place, to die an unwilling and humiliating death. 

But it is claimed, in all candor, that no State evinced more loyalty to the 
Union, or more determination to jnaintain its life and honor, than did Mich- 
igan ; that no troops in all the Union armies gave better or more conclusive 
evidence of true courage, efficiency, and patriotism, or exhibited a more 
supreme love for the great cause in which they were engaged, or rendered 
more valuable or gallant service than did hers. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

The outbreak of the American Rebellion in ISGl, and the formidable 
onset of the rebels in arms, which, unfortunately, found all deimrtments of 
the National Government unpi-epared for its fearful emo)-gencies, came 
unanticipated and unprovided for upon all the States whose authorities 
were not participants in or privy to the conspiracy. 

The people to whom war was then only a name, and not a dreadful fact, 
and who had for years been garnering the rich harvests of peace, amid 
great commercial prosperity and social tranquility, refused to credit the 
predicticms and threatenings of a coming eclipse on the peace of the nation, 
until its terrible shadow had fallen upon them. 

The disruption of the Union had been threatened so often and so cause- 
lessly, that busy men regarded it only as a common rallying cry of unscru- 
pulous politicians, and rarely or never admitted, even in thought, that it 
might suddenly become a fearful reality. It was only when the guns of 
rel)el batteries were fired at Fort Sumter, and shot and shell riddled the 
national Hag, that the self-deception of the patriots of the land ceased ; 
that the dreadi'ul responsibilities of the crisis were acknowledged and 
accepted ; and that the people determined upon the action that was instantly 
needed. 

The manner in which existing deficiencies were supplied, the necessities 
of the times met, th.e C(mstantly augmenting burdens of the struggle borne, 
and the whole jjroblem solved so triumphantly at last, furnishes some of 
the imperishable jjagcs of history. 

Michigan, in common v»ith her sister States of the North, never actually 
nor impliedly conceded the possibility of a civil war until the first blow 
was struck and the light of treason burst from Sumter's walls. Her people, 
thoroughly loyal in all the fires of their being, did not expect it in others; 
and in politics, as in law, they proposed to hold all innocent until guilt was 
indisputably proven. Thus there was no preliminary arming for the ter- 
rible conflict, no antecedent training, no ]iusl)anding of resources, no abate- 
ment of encumbrances, no occu])ancy of advantageous position, and the 
enemy vigorously assailed the walls while the unthinking garrison were yet 
engaged in the avocations of peace, and the rusty weapons were yet stacked 
in their quiet places of years past. 

The census of ^lichigan for 18()0 .showed a population of 751,110. The 
number of able-bodied men capable of military service was estimated in 
official documents of that date at 110,000. The State debt at the close of 
that year was §2,228,842.70, besides 8100,000 in canal bonds, which the 
State had guaranteed, and the actual value of the taxable pnjperty of the 



INTRODUCTORY. H7 

State was estimated at 8275,000,000. The financial embarragsments of our 
Commonwealth were, however, neither few nor unimportant, and an annual 
tax of $226,250 was deemed a grievous burden. 

The militia department of the State was in a very feeble condition, 
caused by lack of the necessary pecuniary aid to encourage its numerical 
strength and efficiency. Yet feeble as it was, it formed a nucleus from 
which were rfillied the first regiments sent to the field in defense of the 
I'nion, and from it germed much of the esprit de corps and superior military 
appearance, coupled with the general etficiency, which characterized the 
earlier Michigan troops, and, indeed, which pervaded all the Michigan 
regiments throughout the war. 

For what was valuable in the militia at that time the State was more 
indebted to Colonel F. W. Curtenius, of Kalamazoo, who had been Adju- 
tant-General for Severn 1 years, and up to 18G1, than to any provisions of 
her laws. 

The companies then organized, and v.hich constituted the entire available 
inilitia force, were twenty-eight in number, and their aggregate strength 
was 1,241 officers and men. For the support of this military establishment 
the State annually spent the enormous sum of three thousand d(jllars, 
appropriated for that purpose by the Legislature. 

Notwithstanding these physical disadvantages, the morale of the people 
was true as steel. On retiring from the Gubernatorial chair, at the close 
'of his term in 1860, the lamented ]\Ioses Wisner addressed a cogent and 
eloquent valedictory message to the new Legislature. 

After presenting, in careful- summaries, all the essential facts in reference 
to the manifold and important material interests of the State, he then pro- 
ceeded to a discussion of the grave situation of national politics, over which 
an unprecedented sombre hue had been cast, by the recent passage in 
various Southern States of ordinances of secession. In the language used at 
that critical moment by our Executive there was no shadow of faltering, 
no tinge of disaffection, no uncertain sound. It breathed devotion to the 
Union in every sentence, and for the maintenance thereof at all hazards 
every paragraph was a stirring argument. We quote these inspiring utter- 
ances which then fell upon the ear of patriots, amid doubt, disloyalty, and 
danger, like tidings of better days and harbingers of future glory : " This 
is no time for timid and vaccillating councils, when the cry of treason and 
rebellion is ringing in our ears." " The Constitution as our fathers made it 
is good enough for us, and must be enforced upon every foot of American 
soil." " INIichigan cannot recognize the right of a State to secede from this 
Union. AVe believe that the founders of our Government designed it to be 
perpetual, and we cannot consent to have oiie star obliterated from our flag. 
For upwards of thirty years this question of the right of a State to secede 
has l)een agitated. It is time it was settled. We ought not to leave it for 
our children to look after." "I would calmly but firmly declare it to be 
the fixed determination of JMichigan that the Federal Constitution, the 
rights of the States, must and shall be preserved." These glowing words, 
this noble advice, were enforced by the personal and patriotic services of 
their author and giver, and fidelity to the national interests, and the great 
love of country which prompted them, added the honored name of Moses 
Wisner to the long lists of martyrs to the cause of the LTnion offered by our 
State. 

Simultaneously with the valedictory of Governor Wisner, the Legislature 
of 1801 listened to the inaugural of his successor, Austin Blair. The man- 
tle (^f Elijah had fallen upon a fitting Elisha ; and a profound and pliilo- 



148 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

sophical discussion of the true nature of our complex system of goverumcnt, 
and of the real signification of the existing and impending issues, was closed 
with these emphatic and telling utterances : "We arc satisfied with the Con- 
stitution of our country, and will obey the laws enacted under it, and we 
must demand that the people of all the other States do the same ; safety lies 
in this path alone. The Union must be preserved, and the laws must be 
enforced in all parts of it at whatever cost. The President is bound to this 
by, his oath, and no power can discharge him from it. Secession is revolu- 
tion, and revolution in the overt act is treason, and must l)e treated as such. 
The Federal Government has the power to defend itself, and I do not doubt 
that that power will be exercised to the utmost. It is a question of war 
that the seceding States have to look in the face. They who think that this 
powerful Govei-nment can be disrupted peacefully have read history to no 
purpose. The sons of the men who carried arms in the seven years Avar 
with 'the most powerful nation in the world, to establish this "Government, 
Avill not hesitate to make equal sacrifices to maintain it. Most deeply must 
we deplore the unnatural contest. On the heads of the traitors who pro- 
voke it must rest the responsibility. In such a contest the God of battles 
has no attribute that can take sides with the revolutionists of the slave 
States. 

"I recommend you at an early day to make manifest to the gentlemen 
who 'represent this State in the two Houses of Congress, and to the country, 
that Michigan is loyal to the Union, the Constitution, and the laws, and 
will defend them to the uttermost ; and to proffer to the President of the 
United States the whole military power of the State for that purpose. Oh! 
for the firm, steady hand of a Washington, or a Jackson, to guide the ship 
of Slate in this perilous storm. Let us hope that we shall find him on the 
4th of March. Meantime, let us abide in the faith of our fathers — ' Liberty 
and Union, one and inseparable, now and forever.' " 

Marslialled by such leaders, and also inspired by its own invincible amor 
patrce, the Legislature was neither timid nor slow in unfurling its colors to 
the breeze, and in joint resolutions offered on February 2d, 18G1, it declared 
its adherence to the Government of the United States, pledged to and ten- 
dered it all its military power and material resources, and declared that 
concession or compromise was not to be entertained or ofiTered to traitors. 
Still nothing definite was done — no actual defensive or aggressive military 
steps Avere taken — until rebel foolhardiness precipitated the struggle that 
had become inevitable by converging upon Fort Sumter the fire of the 
encircling batteries of Charleston Harboi-. 

• On April 12, 18G1, the ncAVs was received at Detroit that the rebels at 
Charleston had actually inaugurated civil Avar by firing upon Fort Sumter. 
This intelligence created much excitement, and in view of the uncertainty 
of coming events, the people, much alarmed, commenced looking around to 
estimate hoAV united they would be in the cause of the Union. On the fol- 
lowing day a meeting of tlie Detroit bar, pixisided over by the venerable 
Judge Ross Wilkins, Avas held, and resolutions Avere adojited i)ledging that 
comnuuiity to "stand by the Government to tlie last," and repudiating the 
treason of the Soutli. By the foHowing Monday, (April loth,) Avlien the 
surrender of tlie Soutli Carolina fortress was kiioAvn liirougliout tlie land, 
and the call of the President for 7'),000 \'olunteers had been received, the 
entire State was alive to the emergencies and duties of the hour, and the 
uprising of the people was universal. Public meetings Avere held in all the 
cities and in most of the toAvns — even in the Christian churches — i^ledges 
of assistance to the nation in its hour of peril made, and volunteering briskly 



INTRODUCTORY. 149 

commenced. In all portions of the State the watchfires of patriotism were 
kindled, blazing with an inspiring brightness, and the cheering illumination 
spread all over the land, as this lyric will testify : 

Trumpet, and ensign, and drum-beat are calling, 
From hillside nnd valley, from mountain and river, 
"Forward the flag!" e'en though heroes are falling, 
Our God will His own chosen standard deliver. 

" Union and Freedom !" our war-cry is rolling, 
I Now o'er the prairie, now wide o'er the billow. 

Hark ! 'tis the battle, and soon will be tolling 

The knell of the soldier, who rests 'neath the willow. 

Banner triumphant ! though grand is thj- stor}-, 
We'll stamp on thy folds in this struggle to-day. 

Deeds of our armies, transcending in glory, 
The bravest yet chanted in poesy's lay. 

Wise were our fathers, and brave in the battle. 

But treason uprises their Union to sever. 
Rouse for the fight! shout loud 'mid war's rattle, 

The Union must triumph, must triumph forever! 

Trumpet, and ensign, and drum-beat are calling. 
From hillside and valley, from mountain and river, 
" Forward the flag!"' e'en though heroes are falling. 
Our God will His own chosen standard deliver.* 

Fortunate in her Executive and Legislative departments, and equally so 
in the management of her interests at the National Capital, having men of 
influence connected with several Departments who loved the reputation of 
their State, and ever ready and anxious to" advance her catise, especially so 
in her representatives in both houses of Congress, INIichigau fearlessly 
launched her bark on the turbulent sea of rebellion and war. 

On Tuesday, April Kith, Governor Blair arrived in Detroit, and in the 
afternoon met a large number of leading citizens and capitalists of that 
city at the Michigan Exchange. The State had been called upon to imme- 
diately furnish to the General Government one infantry regiment, fully 
armed, clothed, and equipped. 

It was estimated that $100,000 would be immediately required to defray 
the necessary expense of organizing the regiment, but the treasury was 
empty, and State finances so situated, that this ])ressing call could not be 
immediately met. Upon the laying of these facts before the meeting ])y the 
Hon. John Owen, State Treasurer, a resolution was passed pledging Detroit 
to loan the State 850,000, anfl calling ujion the people throughout the State 
to make a like advance. A subscription paper was also circulated upon 
the spot, and the sum of $23,000 i)]edged I)y those present. 

Commitees were also appointed to solicit further subscriptions in the 
city, and to aid the Governor in his undertaking. This liberal and prompt 
action at this opportune moment furnished the sinews of war for the time 
being. With these pledges of the peoi)le in hand, and his own good credit, 
Mr. Owen succeeded in raising a sum sufficient to enable the Executive to 
commence the clothing and equipment of troops, which sum, and all others 
obtained in like manner f )r this purpose, were assumed by the State on the 
assembling of the Legislature. During the same day a proclamation was 
issued by the Governor, calling for ten companies of volunteers, and ordering 

* Flag song of Michigan troops in 1861. — By D. Betbune DuflBeld. 



150 IIISTORV OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

the Adjutaiit-Geueral to accept the first ten companies that should ofier, 
and making it the duty of tliat officer to issue all the necessary orders and 
instructions in detail. The movement thus inaugurated did not slacken in 
impetus nor lessen in ardor. The State responded to the call of its autlio- 
rities most promptly. The patriotism of the people Avas in a blaze. War 
meetings Avere held in every town, and the tenders of troops from all points 
in the State far exceeded the requisitions yet made by the General Govern- 
ment. Tlie necessary loan Avas readily taken, mostly by our own people, 
and all the duties of the hour were promptly met and discharged. 

On April 23d the Governor issued his proclamation convening the Legis- 
lature in extra session at Lansing, on the 7th of May. On the following 
day, April 24th, the order was issued from the Adjutant-General's office for 
organizing the 1st regiment of infantry and appointing its field officers; its 
rendezvous was fixed at Fort Wayne, and the immediate assembling there 
of its various companies ordered. Authority had also been given for .the 
raising of the Coldwater Battery, afterwards knoAvn as Loomis's. The 
l)attery was rapidly recruited, and the horses therefor Avere purchased Avith 
funds loaned to the State by the citizens of Coldwater. It Avas at once 
ordered to Fort Wayne, Avhere its equipment Avas completed. The 2d regi- 
ment Avas also hurriedly recruited, and its companies concentrated at Can- 
tonment Blair, Detroit. On May 2d the companies of the 1st regiment 
Avere mustered into the service of the United States. jMeanAvhile tAvo other 
regiments, the 3d and 4th, had been formed, and Avere accepted by the 
vState conditionally, it being apprehended that they Avould not be needed. The 
3d Avent into camp at Grand Rapids, and the 4th at Adrian. 

The Legislature met, pursuant to call, on the 7th, and the Governor 
addressed to them a stirring message, in Avhich he detailed thoAA'ork already 
accomplislicd, and asked the Legislature to legalize Avhat had already been 
done, and invest the State authorities Avith sufficient power for the future. 

Within a session of four days Uiaa's Avere passed, clothing the Governor 
Avith poAver to raise ten regiments and a war loan of one million dollars. 

Fully aAvare of the valuable and patriotic services to be required of the 
soldiers of the State, and of the great sacrifices Avhich must be made by 
their families in their absence, and, at the same time, anticipating that some 
might be left unj^rovided for, or might be brought to Avant by the contin- 
gencies or casualties of Avar, the Legislature Avisely enacted the "Soldiers' 
llelief Law" for the relief of their families by counties, alloAving more or 
less, according to their circumstances, but not exceeding fifteen dollars per 
month. Tins alloAvance, in case of the detith of the soldier, to continue for 
one year after such death. 

On I\Iay loth the first regiment left for the seat of Avar fully armed and 
equipped. 

Under the new legislation the organizing of regiments AA'as rapidly pushed 
and the various requisitions upon the State for men promptly and expe- 
ditiously met. 

The troops Avere ordered to be clothed, equipped and subsisted under the 
direction of the Quartermaster-General of the State on contracts made by 
the IMilitary Contract Board, organized May 15th by legislatiA'C authority. 
Tiiis Txiard was composed of Coh)nels E. O. Grosvenor of Jonesville, Jerome 
Croul of Detroit and William Hammond of ^larshall. Their duties were 
accomplished with much individual ability, great energy, coupled Avith an 
exemplary economy, and relieving the Quarternuister-General from much 
responsibility and labor. 

The State Military Board Avas then composed of General A. S. Williams 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 151 

and Colonel II. I^J. Vvliittelscy of Detroit, CrJ. A. W. Williams of Lansing, 
and Col. C. W. LcfBugwcll of Grand liapids, together with the Adjutant- 
General and (iuarterraaster-General of the State, members ex officio. 

In June following Col. Wm. M. Fenton was apjiointed a member of the 
]3<iard in plaee of Col. "Williams, who had gone to the field with the 2nd 
Infantry. Col. Fenton having entered the serviee, C;;l. E. H. Thomsr.u 
sueceeded him, and on the 13th of August was elected President of the 
Board. 

J. H. Fountain of ^Manchester had been appointed Quartermaster-General 
in i^iarch, and was a faithful and energetic officer, lie was ably aided in 
his arduous duties by Friend Palmer of Detroit who was appointed his assist- 
ant in iMay following. This officer, now Quartermaster-General, having 
served several years in the U. S. Quartermaster's Department, rendered 
invaluable services to the State during the entire war, and to him the State 
is gi'catly indebted for the efficient and economical direction given to the 
administration of that Department. 

General Fountain w;js succeeded as Quartermaster-General by General 
"William Hammond of 'Marshall r.arch 25th, 1803, who served until March 
21st, 1805, when ho was relieved by Gen. O. N. CJiddings of Kalamazoo. 
Both these officers served with marked ability and faitliiulncss. 

General Palmer, the present Quartermaster-General, followed General 
Giddings. 

Colonel James E. Pittman of Detroit was a])i)ointed State Paymaster on 
the 21st of May, 1801, for the pui-posc of paying such JMichigan troops as 
received pay from the State, a duty wliich he most faithfully executed. He 
also served as a member of the State .^iilitary Board, from September 19th, 
1861, until Novendjer 1st, 1802, when he was commissioned as Inspector- 
General of the State. 

AVhen the war commenced General John Robertson held the appointment 
of Adjutant-General, and still acts in that capacity. 

On Ai)ril 1st, 1801, Captain llebor Le Favour was appointed Assistant 
Adjutant-General, and served until June 15th follow-ing, Avhen he volun- 
teered f ;r field service, being relieved l)y Captain De Ciarmo J<;ncs, who 
resigned .^lay 0th, 1802. Both of these officers served with marked effici- 
ency. Colonel Frederick ."^lorley immediately succeeded Captain Jones, 
and sers'ed with eminent ability and distincti<m until tiie close of the war, 
rendering arduous and valuable services as Assistant Adjutant-General of 
the State. • 

Note. — The following telegram was sont over the wires, in the form given below, and 
ilelivered to the Adjutant-General of iMichigan with great secrecy. It is inserted for 
the purpose of showing the agitation and distr ist manifested among the Western 
]>eopleiu the early days of the war. The IllJDois Central Railroad Company, at whose 
instance the dispatch was made, feared a raid oa their line, and were preparing to 
meet it: 

Chicago, April — , 1861. 

Others and, Chicago Mayor, Governor our by signed Blair Governor to directed mes- 
sage have, secret profound a this keep to and, want immediate in are we. us to them 
bring will Central Alichigan, Adjutant-General tell, once at, them have they if, Michi- 
gan from arms of stand thousand five or one wants Governor our. Guns no but, ready 
are troops. Borders own our on invasion suppress to troojjs send to orders have State 
£*"'■• ^ ^ ^ 

RAISING OF TROOPS. 

The President's first call u])on ^Michigan for troops to aid in suppressing 
the rebellion was, as previi»usly stated, f )r one regiment only, and was most 



152 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

promptly met by the muster into service of the 1st infantry, under Colonel 0. 
B. Wilcox, and its early movement to the seat of war in Virginia. This 
regiment was soon followed by the 2d infantry, in command of Colonel Israel 
B. Richardson, while at the same time many com])anies were recruited 
throughout the State without authority in the hope of obtaining places in 
some regiment ; being disappointed in this respect they sought and found 
service in regiments of other States. In the meantime the organization of 
the 3d and 4th regiments had been commenced on the responsibility of the 
governor ; and while they were in process of recruitment a letter was re- 
ceived from the Secretary of War limiting the force required from Michigan 
to four regiments only including the three months' regiment, covering only 
authority for those already in the field and those being organized in the 
State. The letter referred to is inserted for the purpose of showing the esti- 
mate made at that time of the niaguitudc of the rebellion then fully inau- 
gurated : 

War Department, Washington, Maij 11, 1861. 
Governor Austin Blair, Laming, Mlddgan: 

Dear Sir : — I have the honor to forvrard you, enclosed herewith, the plan 
of the organization of the volunteers for three years, or during the war. 
Three regiments are assigned to your State, making, in addition to the one 
regiment of three months' militia already called for, four regiments. It is 
iniportant to reduce rather than enlarge this number, and in no event to 
exceed it. Let me earnestly reconnnend t;) you, therefore, to call for no 
more than four regiments, of which only three are to serve for three yeare, 
or during the war; and if more arc already called for, to reduce the num- 
ber by discharge. 

SIMON CA:\IEE0N, Secretary of War. 

This policy was extremely at variance with the views entertained by the 
State executive regarding the necessities of the country at that time, and 
deeming an immediate preparation t ) meet coming emergencies his duty, 
assumed the responsibility of establishing a camp of instruction at Fort 
Wayne, near Detroit, for tlie officers of the 5th infantry, Col. II. D. Terry ; 
Gth infantry. Col. F. W. Curtenius ; and the 7th infantry. Col. Ira Iv. Gros- 
venor. On the 21st of May companies v/ere assigned t.) those regiment^', 
and tliclr officers and non-commissioned ofacers were ordered to assemble at 
Fort AVaync on the 19th of June. The camp was organized and com- 
manded by General A. S. Williams, assisted by Colonel J. E. Fittman, Major 
W. D. Wilkins, and Captain Henry ?'I. Whlttelsey. A course of instruc- 
tion followed with much success until August 1st, when the camp was broken 
up, and the force sent to various localUlesto recruit their men and organize 
tlie regiments. This was accomplished with astoni.^iing promptness, the Gth 
being mustered in August 20th, the 7tli August 22(1, and the bl\\ August 
28th, and all had left for the field pri(n' to the 12th of September. 

The camp of instruction attracted much attention in other States, and 
received the favorable comments of public journals. It has always been 
cousidered in IMicliigan as a most judicious and eminently successful cfi')rt ; 
its value l)ccoming more and more apparent as tlie war progressed, not only 
in the efficiency of these particular regiments, but in many others, having 
the benefit of officers wlio had received the instruction of the camp. 

Soon after the breaking up of the camp General Williams was appointed 
a l)rigadler general of vohniteers and left for the field in Virginia, v.!;Ii 
Major Wilkins and Captain Whlttelsey on his brigade .staff. 



RAISLNG OF TROOPS. 153 

About the time the camp was established the pressure for appointments 
as commissioned officers had reached its maximum, and men were Ijcing 
forced upin the consideration of the governor by influential citizens of both 
political parties to a most unbearable degree, and often witb an utter disre- 
gard of fitness, or qualification for the position. This pressure continued 
during the entire earlier portion of the war; and it might -well be presumed 
that under such circumstances some im})roper appointments were likely to 
be made. Yet much care was uniformly exercised in the selection and pro- 
motion of officers, and always with qualification for the office and loyalty 
to the Government as the tests, more than personal friendship or political 
status. 

The law of Congress of August 3d had authorized the President to receive 
into service 500,000 volunteers ; the proportion of Michigan was understood 
at the time to be 111,500, but in the adjustment of credits 21,337 was charged 
against the State. 

In addititm to this force were Captain Duesler's company (Cj 1st U. 8. 
sharpshooters, (Berdan's,) raised at large, equipped and armed by the State, 
nuistt'red at Detroit on the 21st of August, with an aggregate strength of a 
hundred of the best picked riflemen in the State, and Captain A. B. Stuart's 
company (B) 2d U. S. sharpshooters, raised at Lansing and mustered at 
Detroit on the 4th of October, with an aggregate of seventy-eight on its 
muster-rolls. 

Also, two companies of cavalry for the " iMorrill Horse," a INIissouri regi- 
ment. These companies were recruited -at Battle Creek, " H " by Captain 
.1. H. Rogers, and " I " by Captain J. B. Mason, and both left the State on 
the 3d of September. 

The "Jackson Guard," a Detroit company, composed of Irishmen, raised 
by Captain John McDermott, failing to get a position in the early INIichigau 
regiments, offered their services to Colonel James JNIulligan, then recruiting 
a regiment in Illinois. They were accepted, and the company joined his 
command in June, and were with him in his gallant defence of Springfield, 
Missouri. 

Several other IMichigan companies, not obtaining places in ^lichigan regi- 
ments, getting impatient at the delay in finding an opportunity to serve their 
country, accepted service in regiments of other States. It would have af- 
lorded nuich pleasure to have been able to notice them more fully at this 
time, but sufficient data cannot be obtained for that purpose. These com- 
panies, so far as ascertained, were " E," " F," and " H," 42d, and " B" and 
"II," 44th regiments Illinois infantry, company " C," 70th New York in- 
fantry, (Sickles Brigade,) i'rom Paw Paw, mustered on the 21st of June in 
command of Captain W. If. Hugo; company " K," 1st New York cavalry, 
raised at Cirand Rapids and nuistered on the 12th of August under com- 
mand of Captain Anson N. Norton. The regiment was raised and organ- 
ized by Col. A. T. McReynols, and was commanded by him in the field. 
Comj)any " D," 66th Illinois infantry, commonly designated as the " West- 
ern Sharpshooters," mustered November 9th in command of Captain John 
Piper, of'Battle Creek. 

Under this call. Colonel T. F. Brodhead, of Detroit, received authority 
to raise the 1st regiment of cavalry, and a like authority was given to the 
Hon. F. W. Kellogg, of Grand Rapids, member of Congress from this State, 
to organize the 2d and 3d cavalry, while Colonel T. B. W. Stockton, of 
Flint, obtained authority to recruit and organize the Stockton regiment, 
al'terwards designated as the 16th infantry. 

In response to this requisition, the State continued recruiting, sending 
J* 



154 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DUIilNG THE REBELLION. 

regiment after regiment to tlie field, and down to December, 1861, had sent 
the foUowing organizations to the front : 

The 1st ri'giment infantry, 3 months, from Detroit, May 15, 780 strong — 
Colonel O. B. Wikox commanding. 

The 1st regiment, from Ann Arbor, September 16, 751 strong — Colonel 
John C. Robinson commanding. 

The 2d regiment infantry, from Detroit, June 5, 1020 strong — Colonel J. 
13. Kichardsou commanding. 

The 3d regiment infantry, from Grand Rapids, June 13, 1042 strong — 
Colonel D. McConnell commanding. 

The 4th regiment infantry, from Adrian, June 25, 1024 strong — Colonel 
D. A. Woodbury commanding. 

The 5th regiment infantry, from Detroit, September 11, 900 strong — Col. 
H. D. Terry commanding. 

The 6th regiment infantry, from Kalamazoo, August 30,. 1020 strong — 
Col. F. W. Curtenius commanding. 

The 7th regiment infantry, fr(jm Monroe, September 5, 1020 strong — Col. 
Ira R. Grosvenor commanding. 

The 8th regiment infantry, from Detroit, September 27, 900 strong — Col. 
W. M. Fenton commanding. 

The 9th regiment infantry, from Detroit, October 25, 943 strong — Col. 
W. W. Duffieid commanding. 

The 16th regiment infantry, from Detroit, September 16, 960 strong — 
Col. T. B. W. Stockton commanding. 

The 11th regiment infantry, from White Pigeon, December 9, 1000 
strong — Col. W. J. May commanding. 

The 1st regiment mechanics and engineers, from IMarshal, December 11, 
1000 strong — Col. W. P. Inues commanding. 

The 1st regiment cavalry, from Detroit, September 29, 1150 strong — Col. 
T. F. Brodhead connnanding. 

The 2d regiment cavalry, from Grand Rapids, ]Srovcmber 14, 1170 strong — 
Lieut. Col. W. C. Davis commanding. 

The 3d regiment cavalry, from Grand Rapids, November 28, 1180 strong — 
Lieut. Col. R. H. G. Minty commanding. 

The 1st battery, from Detroit, June 1, 123 strong — Captain CO. Loomis 
commanding. 

The 2d battery, from Grand Rapids, December 17, 110 strong — Captain 
W. S. Bliss commanding. 

The 3d battery, from Grand Rapids, December 17, 80 strong — Captain 
A. W. Dees commanding. 

The 4th battery, from White Pigeon, December 9, 126 strong — Captain 
A. F. Bidwell commanding. 

The 5th battery, from ]\Iarshal, December 17, 76 strong — Captain J. II. 
Dennis commanding. 

Ten of these regiments were clothed and subsisted by the State under the 
direction of the (Quartermaster-General. 

On the 2d of January, 1862, Governor Blair delivered his message to the 
Legislature, tlien in extra session. The following extract therefrom was 
accepted at the time as .the expression of the people of the State on the war 
question : 

" I cannot close this brief addre.^'S without an allusion to the great object 
that occupies all men's minds. The Southern rel)ellion still maintains a 
bold front against the Union armies. That is the cause of all our compli- 
cations abi'oa*! and our troubles at home. To deal wisely with it is to find 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 155 

a short and easy deliverance from them all. The people of Michigan are 
no idle spectators of this groat contest. They have furnished all the troops 
required of them, and are preparing to pay the taxes and to submit to the 
most onerous burdens without a murmur. They are ready to increase their 
sacrifices, if need be, to require impossibilities of no man, but to be ])atient 
and wait. But to see the vast armies of the llepublic, and all its pecuniary 
resources, used to protect and sustain the accursed system which has been 
a perpetual and tyrannical disturber, and which now makes sanguinary 
war upon the Union and the Constitution, is precisely what they will never 
submit to tamely. The loyal States liaving furnished adequate means, 
bi)th of men and money, to crush the rebellion, have a right to ex})ect th(jse 
men to be used with the utmost vigor to accomplish the object, and that 
without any mawkish sympatiiy for the interest of traitors in arms. Upon 
those who caused the war, and now maintain it, its chief burdens ought to 
fall. No property of a rebel ought to be free from confiscation — not even 
the sacred slave. The object of war is to destroy the power of the enemy, 
and whatever measures are calculated to jfccomplish that object, and are in 
accortlance with the usages of civilized nations, ought to be employed. To 
undertake to put down a powerful rebellion, and, at the same time, to save 
and pn)tect all the chief sources of the power of that rebellion, seems to 
common minds but a short remove from simple folly. He who is not for 
the Union, unconditionally, in this mortal struggle, is against it. The 
highest dictates of jjatriotism, justice, and humanity combine to demand 
that the war should be conducted to a speedy close upon principles of the 
most heroic energy and retributive power. The time i'or gentle dalliance 
has long since passed away. We meet an enemy, vindictive, bloodthirsty, 
and cruel, profoundly in earnest, inspired with an energy and self-sacrifice 
which would honor a good cause, respecting neither laws, constitutions, nor 
historic memories, fanatically devoted only to his one wicked purpose to de- 
stroy the Government and establish his slaveholding oligarchy in its stead. 
To treat this enemy gently is to excite his derision. To protect his slave 
])'.*operty is to help him to butcher our people and burn our houses. No. 
He nuist be met with an activity and a purpose equal to his own. Hurl 
the Unitm forces, which outnumber him two to one, upon his whole line 
like a thunderbolt ; pay them out of his property, feed them from his gra- 
naries, mount them upon his horses, and carry them in his wagons, if he 
has any, and let him feel the full force of the storm of war v.hich he has 
raised. I would apologize neither to Kentucky nor anybody else for these 
measures, but quickly range all neutrals ejther on the one side or the other. 
Just a little of the courage and ability which carried Napoleon over the 
Alps, dragging his cannon through the snow, would quickly settle this con- 
test, and settle it right. If our soldiers must die, do not let it be of the 
inactivity and diseases of camps, but let them at least have the satisfaction 
of falling like soldiers, amid the roar of battle, and hearing the shouts of 
victory ; then will they welcome it as the tired laborer welcomes sleep. Let 
us liope that we have not much longer to wait." 

Following this [jatriotic and bold stand assumed by the Governor in his 
message, the Legislature, equally appreciating the great emergencies of the 
country, with firnmess and pluck worthy of the people whom they repre- 
sented, passed the following well-timed and highly appropriate joint resolu- 
tion in reference to the rebellion : 

Whereas the Government of the United States is engaged in putting down 
a causeless and wicked rcl)ellion against its authority and sovereignty, inau- 
giu-ated by ambitious men to obtain political power — a government, the 



156 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

safety and perpetuity of Avhicli must ever rest upon the loyalty of its citizens 
and an adherence to the Constitution ; 

And Avhereas the Avelfare of mankind, the usefulness and power of the 
nation, are involved in the events and issues of the present conflict ; tliere- 
fore, be it 

Bciolved, (the House concurring,) That Michigan, loyal to herself and 
to the Federal Government, reaffirms her undying hostility to traitors, her 
abiding love for freedom, and her confidence in the wisdom and patriotism 
of the national administration. 

Resolved, (the House concurring,) That the people of Michigan deem it 
the imperative duty of the Government to speedily put down all insurrec- 
tion against its authority and sovereignty, by the use of every constitutional 
means, and by the employment of every energy it possesses ; that ]\Iichigan 
stands firm in her determination to sustain, by men and treasure, the Con- 
stitution and the Union, and claims that the burthen of loyal men should 
be lightened, as far as possible, by confiscating to the largest extent the 
property of all insurrectionists ; and that as between the institution of slavery 
and the maintenance of the Federal Government, INIichigan does not hesi- 
tate to say, that in such exigency, slavery should be swept from the land, 
and our country maintained. 

Resolved, That the Governor be requested to forward a copy of the fore- 
going preamble and resolutions to each of our Senators and Representatives 
in Congress. 

Approved January 18, 1862. 

At the commencement of the year 1862 recruiting was being vigorously 
prosecuted under most favorable circumstances, brought about in part by a 
brisk competition, often leading to various schemes for inducing recruits to 
change regiments, both before and after muster, neither legitimate nor honest, 
but still considered by some as having the ring of a certain kind of smart- 
ness ; and although there was nuich complaint and many protests nuide 
against this mode of operating, leading to the publication of prohibitory 
orders on the subject, it was found impossible to prevent the practice. 

At the various recruiting depots in the State there were being hastily or- 
ganized and rapidly equipped five regiments of infantry and three Initteries 
of artillery. Their completion was most industriously ])ushcd by the officers 
charged with their recruitment, and they left for the field as follows : 

loth infantry, from Kalamazoo, February 12th, 925 strong. Col. M. Shoe- 
maker coninuinding. 

12th infantry, from Niles, March 18th, 1,000 strong, Col. Francis Quinn 
commanding. 

15th infantry, from INIonroe, March 27th, 869 strong, Col. J. jM. Oliver 
commanding. 

14th infantry, from Ypsilanti, April 17th, 925 strong. Col. K. P. Sinclair 
commanding. 

10th infantry, from Flint, April 22d, 997 strong. Col. C. ]\I. Lum com- 
manding. 

7th l)attery, from Kalamazoo, February 12th, 145 strong, Capt. C. H. 
Lamphcre conmianding. 

6th battery, from Coldwater, March 3d, 158 strong, Capt. J. S. Andrews 
commanding. 

8th battery, from Monroe, March 13th, 156 strong, Capt. Saml. De Gol- 
yer commanding. 

A hincer regiment, composed of a fine body of men, jirincipally from 
Canada, had been raised by Col. Arthur Kankin, of Windsor, an Englisli Ca- 



RAISIiVG OF TROOPS. 157 

iiadian. It had been mustered into service with the maximum number and 
C([uii)i)od, with the exception of horses. It woukl have Icl't the State with 
those named, but was disbanded by an order of tlie War Department, con- 
trary to the repeated protests of the Governor, and without giving any rea- 
son for such a procedure, h)sing to the service of the Union a remarlvably 
line appearing regiment. 

Two more companies for the 1st U. S. sharpshooters also left the State for 
tlie tiehl ;•*" I " in command of Capt. A. ]\Iilan Willett and " K" under the 
command' of Spencer J. IMather, the former company mustered on tlie 4th 
and the Latter on the 20th of March. 

There was also a company of sharpshooters raised in Detroit by Capt. 
Kin S. Dygcrt f)r the Kith "JMichigan, which was mustered on the 3d of 
February and joined the regiment in the iield v.ithout delay. 

In the month of April Capt. G. S. AVormer, of Detroit, was authorized to 
raise and equip a company of infantry to serve as a guard over Generals 
Burrows and Harding and Judge Hill, all influential citizens of Nashville, 
Tennessee, then rebel prisoners on the island of Mackinac, and who had 
been arrested by Andrew Johnson for treason. This company was desig- 
nated the Stanton Guard. It was mustered into the service May 10th and 
immediately took transjjort fn- Mackinac, where it served until the 'ioth 
September 'following, when it was disbanded, the necessity for the service 
having passed away by the release of the prisoners. 

The reports made in July by the several regiments, batteries, and inde- 
pendent companies gave an addition of 2,028 recruits to their original strength 
since their organization, showing a total of 24,281 officers and men enrolled 
from the commencement of the Avar to July 1st, and an estimated number 
of l,4.j.') enlistments in regiments of other States, giving 2-^7;]4 as the grand 
total. Add to this the lancer regiment disbanded, and a battalion of cavalry 
raised at Coldwater by jNIajor "Hughes, designated the " Chandler Horse 
Guard," which was musterecl out of service under an order of the War De- 
partment for irregularities in organization, and we have an aggregate of 
nearly twenty-seven thousand men enrolled and mustered into service pre- 
vious' to the' first of July. Furnishing over six thousand more than had 
been called for by the requisition of the Government, exhibiting a degree 
of patriotism and promptness unsurpassed by any other State, and men too 
whose loyalty, patriotism, and courage had been tried and proved on almost 
every battle-field. 

During McClellan's disastrous peninsula campaign in iMay and June the 
Michigan regiments had become much depleted by the usual casualties of 
service and "by wounds, disease, and death, whilst recruiting had entirely 
failed in the State. The 17th infantry was then organizing, and it was found 
almost impossible to obtain men for its completion, and recruits for regi- 
ments in the field could not be enlisted under any circumstances. 

The following letter was post-marked Albion, .Michigan, and addressed to 
the Adjutant-General of the State, and received in May, 1862: 

31 K. IIobertson: 

Sir:— In the name of God Almighty, the Government of the United 
States, and the people of the State of .Michigan, send me by special train to 
Kalamazoo forthwith five corporals and forty privates, with forty roimds of 
fixed ammunition and two days cooked rations each. I have work for them. 
I have holed an old and big secesh den of traitors and want to dig them out. 

BRONSbN, 
Independent Detective and Acting U. S. Marishal 



158 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

P. S. — Telegraph to me about what time they will get there. 

" B " 

7. D. & U. S. M. 
Galesbueg, 3fay 26. 

This fearful condition of affairs had assumed so formidable a shape as to 
make it necessary to hold public meetings in some localities of the State to 
stimulate the people to more energy in the cause of the Union, and especially 
in recruiting for the regiments in the field. A public meeting for that pur- 
pose was called in Detroit, to be held in the afternoon of Tuesday, the loth 
July, and on assembling on the Campus Martins in accordance with the 
call, and while the business in view was being proceeded with, the gathering 
w^e surprised by a mob of men, who furiously interrupted the deliberations 
and entirely broke up and dispersed the meeting, driving the officers from 
the stand, and compelling some of them to seek shelter and safety in the 
" Russell House," a hotel adjacent to the Campus Martins. The exhibition 
of this rebel spirit in our midst proved of iinmediate and lasting advantage 
to the cause of the army in the field, for it aroused such a feeling of indig- 
nation at these disloyal and treasonable operations, and such utter contempt 
for the ruffians who had been thus engaged, that the masses of the respect- 
able citizens of both political parties determined that such proceedings should 
not be tolerated in Detroit, and therefore next day a meeting was appointed 
for Tuesday, the 22d of July, to carry out the objects of the previous meet- 
ing, and for the further purpose of maintaining the right of citizens to hold 
such meetings witliout interference or molestation. An immense gathering 
assembled under the call, severely rebuking the disloyal element, and with 
unbounded enthusiasm avowing a most faithful and persistent support of 
the war, and pledging, with prodigal liberality, means and personal encour- 
agement, and adopting instant measui-es for the recruitment of the regi- 
ments of the State, and urging the immediate re-enforcements of the armies 
of the Union, 

This prompt action of the citizens had the desired effect, giving recruiting 
new^ life and energy, and led to the immediate proffer of the gallant 24th 
regiment to the cause of freedom and humanity, and served to end all open 
demonstrations in favor of rebellion in the metropolis of the State. 

The general alai*m for the cause of the Union, resulting from the reverses 
of McClellan, flashed over the State and brooded over her loyal people, 
being shared in for a short time by Michigan, in common with tlie otlier 
loyal States ; but she soon rallied from a despondency which was but tem- 
porary, and burst forth with a renewed degree of unsurpassed vigorous en- 
ergy and enlarged patriotism. 

President Lincoln, advised by the Governors of the loyal States, Avho had 
consulted together regarding the emergency,* issued a proclamation on July 



*By Telkgraph from New York, June 30, 1862. 

To THE GOVERNOII OP MICHIGAN : 

" Private and Confidential." — In view of the present state of military movements, and 
the depleted condition of our efficient forces in the field, resulting from the usual and 
unavoidable causes of the services, together with the large numbers of men required to 
garrison the numerous cities and military positions that have been captured, as well as 
to protect our avenues of supplies in the enemy's country, it is proposed to address a 
memorial to the President to-day, to be signed by all the Governors of all the loyal 
States, and some other officials of the country, requesting him at once to call upon the 
several loyal States for such number of men us may be required to fill up organizations 
in the field, and add such increased numbers of men to the army heretofore authorized 
a may in his judgment be necessary to speedily crush this rebellion and restore our 



RAISLNG OF TROOPS. 150 

2d for 300,000 men, the War Department assigning to IVIichigan a quota 
of 11,()8G. On the 15th of July orders were published from the Adjutant 
General's Department of the SUite urgently appealing to the people for a 
prompt and efiective response, and prescribing regulations for a system of 
organization. The following is an extract from the order referred to: 

'''The Governor lias confidence in the loyalty, patriotism, and courage of 
the people, that they will cheerfully respond to the President's call, firmly 
believing that this force will be quickly raised to aid in speedily putting an 
end forever to this unjustifiable and cruel rebellion. 

"The time has now arrived f)r men who love their country and desire its 
perpetuity as a nation to make sacrifices in its defence. Without resort to 
drafting, let the ranks be speedily filled, let every heart be nerved, and 
every man welcome the hour that calls him to his country's rescue; let him 
be self-sacrificing, patriotic, and courageous ; let him make the camp his 
home, and the brave soldiers of the Union his companions, until this national 
struggle be ended, and show that the privations, hardships, and dangers 
endured by the noble sons of the State who have fought their country's bat- 
tles, and that the bloody battle grounds so recently trodden by them have 
not drained the State of its patriots nor lessened the love of her people for 
the national flag, n(n- their determination that its folds shall float over them 
unimpaired forever." 

In addition to the 17th infantry in process of organization by recruits 
from the State at large, six regiments of. infantry were ordered, and appor- 
tioned respectively to the six Congressional districts, confining the recruit- 
ment of each regiment to its own district, establishing a camp for each, and 
appointing commanders of camp, who were charged with the raising of the 
regiments. These regiments, having the following gentlemen as comman- 
ders of cam]), were the 18th, at Hillsdale, Hon. Henry Waldron ; 19th, at 
Dowagiac, Col. Henry C. Gilbert ; 2()th, at Jackson, Hon. Fidus Liver- 
more;" 21st, at Ionia, Hon. J. B. Welsh; 22d, at Fontiac, Col. Moses Wis- 
ner ; and the 2od, at East Saginaw, Hon. D. H. Jerome. 

The Adjutant General of the State, in his report for 18(32, says of the 
action of the peo})le regarding this call : 

"The response of the people of the State to the President's call was patri- 
otic and prompt almost beyond expectation. Individuals of every degree 
of prominence f trthwith began tt) interest themselves in the business of 
tilling the regiments. Connnunities gave to it their time and their almost 
exclusive attention, while, better than all, the substantial masses of the peo- 
ple offered themselves in person. War meetings were held in almost every 
village and township in the State. Representatives of all classes converted 
themselves either into recruits or recruiting officers, and among the most 
efficient of the latter were ministers of the Gospel, some of whom led the 
men they had enlisted into the field." 

The Ciiristian Church in this State generally proved by its pronounced 
patriotism, and manifest devotion to the cause of the country, an element 
of immense success. AH true patriots commend its noble cause, all faithful 
Christians endorse its glorious action. From the time that Sumter was fired 



Government. The decisive moment to accomplish this enil, it is believed, has arriyed. 
Shall we add j^our name to the memorial? 

(Signed,) E. D. MORGAN, Governor Nero York. 

R. G. CURTIN, Governor Pennsylvania. 

They were immediately telegraphed by Governor Blair to use his name on the me- 
morial. 



160 HISTORY OF iMICHlGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

on until Lee and Johnston laid down their rebellious arras, and Davis fled 
for his life, it encouraged and nerved by word and deed the soldier in the 
field, aided much in the recruitment of men by its aj^proval of the cause, 
and its openly avowed abhorrence of rebels and those who sympathized with 
them aftd opposed the war. Where it did not, cowardice most mean and 
grovelling, disloyalty gross, and blackest treason, pi'evented its being in- 
cluded in the Providence of God among the instrumentalities to save the 
nation, and hence, neither deserves nor can expect any l)etter fate than the 
certain condemnation of every true lover of his country and of his race, and 
'the disapproval of the God of nations. 

The valuable services rendered at this time by the loyal Press throughout 
the State can never be over-estimated ; for its successful efforts in strength- 
ening the hands of public officers, in moulding public opinion in favor of 
loyalty to the Government, in encouraging patriotism among the masses, 
and inspiring those at the front with a heroism leading to gallant deeds. 

The Adjutant-General further says in his report : 

" Immediately following the issue of this order, applications reached the 
Adjutant-General's office, by telegraph and otherwise, from all sections of 
the State, urging authority to recruit, and desiring instructions and forms 
for the enlistment of companies. Facilities to promote this purpose were 
promptly furnished, and as soon as the camp grounds could be provided 
with suitable quarters, men began to flock in by companies and detach- 
ments. The gentlemen who had been charged witli the duty of supervising 
the organization of the regiments performed their labors with diligence and 
success, and in little over a month from the date of the President's call, 
men enough had been raised in the State, and nearly enough were in camp, 
to fill all the regiments which the War Department had asked for as the 
number first needed under the President's requisition. 

"In the meantime, while the patriotism of the people was thus zealously 
manifesting itself in all portions of the State, the people of Detroit and of 
Wayne county desired an opportunity to put in the field a regiment of their 
own citizens, in addition to those already in progress. Authority was 
promptly given by the Governor for this purpose, and the 24th regiment 
was ordered, organized under the direction of Colonel H. A. Morrow, and 
placed in rendezvous at Detroit, making the eighth infantry regiment then 
in course of completion." 

The Executive of the nation, Abraham Lincoln, was looking anxiously 
into the future and calling earnestly upon the States for information as to 
what he might expect to sustain him in meeting coming emergencies. Under 
date of July 28th, he telegraphed to Governor Blair : 

"It would be of great service here for us to know as fully as you can 
tell, what progress is made and making in recruiting for old regiments in 
your State. Also, about what day the first new regiment can move from 
you, what the second, what the tiiird, and so on. This information is im- 
portant to us in making calculations. Please give it as promptly and 
accurately as you can." 

To this dis])atch the Governor instantly replied as follows : 

"Very little can l)e done in recruiting old regiments until the new regi- 
ments arc filled up ; although every exertiim will be made to do so. Tlie 
new regiments will conuncnce to take the field about the 1st September, or 
sooner, if possible, and will all be in service in the field during that month." 

In providing for the immense reinforcements to the national armies under 
this call, some delay in arming and equipping the troops unavoidably 
occurred, and the Michigan regiments were ready before their field equip- 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 161 

ment. With great dispatch, however, they were put in readiness for the 
fiehl, and left the State fully armed, clothed, and equipped, in the order 
hereafter mentioned. 

On the completion of the eight regiments referred to, it was ascertained 
that in the rush to the rescue more co:npanies had been raised than could 
be placed in the district regiments, and on the 20th of August an order was 
issued from the Adjutant-General's office directing the recruitment of the 
25th and 26th regiments of infantry, and assigning the surplus companies 
thereto. 

The 25th rendezvoused at Kalamazoo, under the direction of the Hon. 
H. G. Wells, commandant of camp, and the 26th at Jackson, in connnand 
of Colonel Judson S. Farrar. They were put in condition for active ser- 
vice with much promptness, and left the State immediately thereafter. 

About the time that the President's last call for volunteers appeared, the 
Governor had permission from the War I)c'})artment to send into the field 
another regiment of cavalry, and authority was given to Colonel K. II. G. 
Minty, then lieutenant-colonel of the 3d cavalry, to proceed at once to raise 
the 4th cavalry. Appointments to recruit were eagerly sought for, and the 
regiment was rapidly raised to the maximum, and on the 21)th of July was 
ordered into rendezvous at Detroit. On the 29th of August it was mustered 
into the United States service, and was only aAvaiting its horses and equip- 
ments. As soon as these Avere provided, it left the State on the 26th of 
September. 

Soon after the organization of the 4th, Colonel J. T. Copeland, late of the 
1st cavalry, sought and obtained the permission of the War Department, 
approved by the Governor, to raise another regiment for the same branch 
of service; and still later — when the President had issued an order pro- 
viding for the draft of a further force of 300,000 men, Hon. F. W. Kellogg, 
member of Congress from this State, secured authority (also subject to 
approval by the Governor) to raise two additional regiments for the same 
arm. The 5th and 6th cavalry, comprising two of the three regiments thus 
authorized, were recruited with great rapidity, and would have been in the 
field by the 1st of October had horses, arms, and equipments been provided 
as fast as the men were ready for them. They left the State in the early 
part of December. 

The !>th battery of light artillery was raised in connection Avith the 5th 
cavalry, ])y Captain I. I. Daniels, and left for the field with that regiment, 
fully equipped and mounted. 

The l)odics of troops thus referred to comprise all the district organiza- 
tions that were sent from the State into active service since the requisition 
of the President, made on the 2d of July, and are as follows : 

The 17th regiment infantry, from Detroit, August 27, 982 strong — Colonel 
W. II. Withington commanding. 

The 24th regiment infantry, from Detroit, August 29, 1027 strong — 
Colonel H. A. ]\Iorrow conmuinding. 

The 20th regiment infantry, from Jackson, September 1, 1012 strong — 
Colonel A. W. Williams commanding. 

The 18th regiment infantry, from Hillsdale, September 4, 1002 strong — 
Colonel C. E. Doolittle commanding. 

The 22d regiment infantry, from Pontiac, September 4, 997 strong — Col. 
M. Wisner commanding. 

The 21st regiment infantry, from Ionia, September 12, 1007 strong — Col. 
A. E. Stevens commandiuK. 



162 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

The 19th regiment infantry, from Dowagiac, September 14, 995 strong — 
Col. H. C. Gilbert commanding. 

The 23d regiment infantry, from East Saginaw, September 18, 883 strong — 
Col. M. W. Chapin commanding. 

The 4th regiment cavalry, from Detroit, September 26, 1228 strong — Col. 
R. H. G. Minty commanding. 

The 25th regiment infantry, from Kalamazoo, Sej)tember 29, 89G strong — 
Col. O. H. Moore commanding. 

The 9th battery, from Detroit, December 4, 168 strong — Captain J. J. 
Daniels commanding. 

The 5th regiment cavalry, from Detroit, December 4, 1305 strong — Col. 
J. T. Copeland commanding. 

The 6th regiment cavalry,from Grand Rapids, December 10, 1220 strong — 
Col. George Gray commanding. 

The 26th regiment infantry, from Jackson, December 13, 903 strong — 
Col. J. S. Farrar commanding. 

The quality of the men, physically, mentally, and morally, forming the 
material of these regiments, has never been and can never be excelled in 
the armies of any State or nation, and it may well be questioned if it was 
ever equaled outside of the limits of the Union. 

The infantry regiments Avent to the field thoroughly armed and equipped, 
the arms furnished being of a superior quality. The cavalry were equally 
well equipped ; but a portion of the arms of some of them were not furnished 
until after reaching the seat of war. 

At the time the call was made by the President, and on which the above 
designated regiments were raised, much anxiety as to coming events and 
results existed throughout the land, and great despondency pervaded the 
masses, prevailing to an alarming extent in the army. The disasters of 
Bull Run and Ball's Bluff, and Bank's retreat from the Valley of the She- 
nandoah were fresh in the memory. McClellan's fruitless peninsula cam- 
paign had just terminated. Gloom covered the Union cause throughout the 
North, and loyal hearts were sad. But with these disasters and discour- 
agements patriotism seemed to grapple, and strong and loyal men flocked 
to service under the standard of their country, without money or price, and 
with laudable determination. The regiments referred to Avere recruited in 
these memorable days, the darkest of the rebellion. Fighting had produced 
much suffering, and bullets, death, and war had proved a fearful reality; 
yet patriotism in Michigan was at its maximum, and her people demonstra- 
ted their indomitable pluck. 

While great activity prevailed among the people and in the State Mili- 
tary Departments, in meeting the call of July 2d, strong hopes were enter- 
tained that the final requisition for additional volunteers had been reached. 
The President issued an order on the 4th of August for a draft to be made 
without delay of 300,000 militia to serve for nine months. On the 9th of 
the same month general orders were promulgated by the War Department, 
assigning the quotas of the several States, that of Michigan being 11,686, 
same as under the last call. 

Special instructions of a later date directed that if volunteers for old and 
new regiments mustered from July 2d exceeded the number called for 
(11,686) the excess might be deducted from the number drafted. 

Accepting the exigency, the Governor issued his proclamation to the 
proper civil officers of each township and ward to make a complete census 
of the citizens of proper age and forward returns to the county clerk of their 
respective counties on or before the 10th day of September following. This 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 163 

new demand upon the resources and patriotism of the people was assented 
to with great unanimity, and its propriety and necessity generally accepted, 
but the desire was to otsviate a draft, and strong efforts were being put forth 
to furnish the quota in volunteers. 

The commissioners appointed by the Governor to superintend the draft, 
together with the sheriffs and clerks of counties, were constituted recruiting 
officers. 

General orders were issued from the Adjutant-General's Department of 
the State, apportioning the quota to be raised on the basis of the census of 
1860, (the military enumeration being yet incomplete,) and accrediting 
each county with the number of men which had been furnished by each 
since the 2d of July, as shown by special returns made from the regiments 
themselves, and ap])()intiiig the following-named persons to carry the draft 
into effect in tlicir respective counties: 

Allegan county, Henry Dumont, commissioner; L. Foster, surgeon. 
Branch county, Geo. A. Coe, commissioner ; Phineas P. Nichols, Plenry B. 
Stillman, surgeons. Berrien county, Charles R. Brown, commissioner; John 
M. Roe, IMorgan Enos, surgeons. Bay county, Pleury Raymond, connnis- 
sioner; Chas. H. Reynolds, surgeon. Barry county, Norman Bailey, com- 
missioner ; John Putlierts, surgeon. Calhoun county, J. B. Greenough, com- 
missioner ; Z. T. Slater, W. 11. Johnson, surgeons. Cass county, Chas. W. 
Clisbee, commissioner; Alonzo Garwood, surgeon. Clinton county, R. 

Stickland, commissioner ; Dr. Topping, surgeon. Cheboygan county, ; 

Eaton county, Joseph M. Hazlett, cohimissioner ; Alden B. Sampon, sur- 
geon. Emmet county, . Genessee county, Warner Lake, commissicmer ; 

Daniel Clarke, surgeon. Gratiot county, , commissioner; John B. 

Cheeseman, surgeon. Grand Traverse, Morgan Bates, commissioner ; , 

surgeon. Hillsdale county, E. O. Grosvenor, commissioner ; A. Cressy, sur- 
geon. Huron county, W. D. Luddington, commissioner. Ingham county, 
Lemuel Woodhouse, commissioner ; Dr. Hill, surgeon. Ionia county, Al- 
bert Williams, commissioner. Isabella county, . Jackson county, Eu- 
gene Pringle, commissioner ; Gordon Chittack, surgeon. Kent county, P. 
H. L. Pierce, commissioner ; Almou M. Ellsworth, surgeon. Kalamazoo 
county, Charles S. INIay, ccMumissioner ; Wm. JMottram, surgeon. La])eer 
count}^, Virtulon Rich, commissioner; Oliver T. Strowbridge, surgeon. Liv- 
ingston county, William Riddle, commissioner ; Chas. W. Haze, surgeon. 
Lenawee county, Perlcy Bills, commissioner ; Dr. Pearsoll, Edwin P. An- 
drews, surgeons. Leelanaw county, . Macomb county. Dexter Muzzy, 

commissioner. Mecosta county, . Midland county, Lorenzo F. Tay- 
lor, commissioner. Manitou county, . Mason county, . Manistee 

county, . IMonroe county, Edwin P. Dorch, conunissioner and surgeon. 

Montcalm county, R. K. Divine, commissioner. IMuskegon county, Chaun- 
cey Davis, commissioner. Newaygo county, John A. Brooks, commissioner; 

A. D. Leonard, surgeon. Oceana county, . Ottawa county, C. B. Al- 

bee, commissioner; J. D. North, surgeon. Oakland county, Clark Beards- 
lee, commissioner. Shiawasse county, lona Fuller, commissioner; David 
F. Alsdorf, surgeon. Saginaw county, Addison Brewer, commissioner ; Hi- 
ram C. Driggs, surgeon. St. Clair county, Marcus H. INIiles, commissioner; 
C. M. Stockwell, surgeon. St. Joseph county, John W. Frey, commissioner ; 
Francis J. IMorse, surgeon. Tuscola county, Charles B. Mills, commission- 
er ; Wm. Johnson, surgeon. Van Buren county, O. T. Welch, commission- 
er ; John W. Emery, Eugene Bitely, Decatur, surgeons. Wastenaw coun- 
ty, James IMcMahon, commissioner ; D. A, Post, Ebenezer Mills, sui-geons. 
Wayne county. Christian H. Buhl, conunissioner ; E. M. Clark, J. M. Swift, 



164 



HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



Louis Davenport ; Dr. KeifFer, surgeons. C. H. Buhl of Wayne resigned 
after serving a considerable time, and was succeeded by Joseph Warren. 

In counties where commissioners and surgeons were not appointed by this 
order, the Sheriffs thereof were authorized to designate commissioners, with 
power to appoint surgeons. 

On account of the want of preparation in most of the States for an imme- 
diate draft, the Government found it expedient to postpone the period for it 
to talce place and to extend the time for tlae completion of the regiments in 
process of organization. 

In the meantime the most strenuous and effective measures were being 
continued by most of the townships and wards then behind to furnish the 
number required of them without recourse to draft, and to aid in this, large 
local bounties were offered and the most efficient means of recruiting em- 
ployed. 

The results of the military census are presented in the following table 
taken from the Adjutant-General's report for 1862. AVhere the figures are 
omitted in the first column, the counties failed to make returns. 



Table .thowivg the number of persons between the ages of 18 and 45 enrolled by Assessors, September 10. 1862, 
thenumber exempted, and the number subject to draft; together with the number returned in June, under a 
law of the Utate. 



COUNTY. 


No. of men en- 
rolled by As- 
sessors. 


No. exempted. 


No. subject to 
draft. 


No. returned in 
June, under 
State law. 


Alleean 






1.S44 

1,446 

746 

2.534 

Io03 

1,824 

37 

1.378 

1,882 

2.627 
3,154 

539 
1.773 
1,616 

276 
3.909 
3,934 
3.031 
1.735 
5.477 
2.248 
§223 
2,666 
35 

132 

132 
2,394 

573 

489 
1.760 
4.933 
1,305 

858 
2,130 
3.034 
3.089 

776 
2.190 
4.81)5 
10,106 


2.721 




2.264 
1,001 


*818 
315 


1.814 








3,172 


Brinch 








5,126 


1.123 


4,499 


Cass 


2,217 




109 
2.126 
2,672 


+72 
748 
790 


104 






JiJfltOIl 




Fminet 










2.513 


Hillsilale 


4,392 
042 


1,238 
103 


3.708 


Huron 






2,503 


Ionia 


2.850 


1,234 








Jackson 


4,527 


jois 


3.885 
2,160 




2.530 
6,544 


7.38 

795 

1,067 


3.527 




1.897 




5.095 




2.782 


Mackinac 


223 

3,485 

111 




188 




819 
76 


2.976 


Mason 




Mlillanil 


152 


Mecosta 


229 

3,009 


97 
075 


200 




1.936 




240 




050 


101 






2.085 


Oakland 


6,001 


968 


4.967 






Sanilac 


1,294 
2,951 
4,006 


436 
821 
972 






2.497 


St. Clair 


4.042 


St. .Toseph 


3.270 








750 


Tan Rnrpn 


2,7.34 
5,879 
12,538 


544 

984 

2.432 


2,3: '5 








11,224 






Subject to draft 







91.071 






*0f these 797 were exempted by the surgeon. fMost of these are Indians, whom hitherto the War 

Department has refused to muster Into service. % Ksempted by surgeon, 419. gXhere was no 

Burgeon in this county, and these figures show the total enrollment. 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 165 

In the same report of the Adjutaut-General is found the following state- 
ment regarding the population of counties and the number of persons subject 
to draft on the basis of the census of 18G0 : 

" The total population of the counties above enumerated at the census of 
1860 was 715,595, The proportion of persons residing therein who are sub- 
ject to draft is as 1 to 857-1000. The counties which have made no returns 
are Alcona, Alpena, Chippewa, Delta, Gratiot, Grand Traverse, Ilougliton, 
(included with Keweenaw in 18G0,) Iosco, Leelanaw, Marquette, INIaiiitou, 
Manistee, Muskegon, Osceola, Oceana, Ontonagon, Presque Isle, and School- 
craft, and their aggregate population in 18G0 was 35,415, The same ratio 
which rules in the counties from which returns have been received would 
l^roduce in the counties last mentioned a military strength of 4,507, making 
the aggregate of persons yet remaining in the State between the ages of 18 
and 45, and subject to draft for military purposes, 95,578, less the number 
of volunteers who have enlisted since September 10, 1862." 

The War Department, now full}' aware of many obstacles in the way of 
making a draft at that time and hoping that the necessary additional troops 
could be raised by volunteer enlistments, left the time for drafting to the 
discretion of the governors. 

Early in September three companies of men, nearly full, had been offered 
from the Upper Peninsula, and there was reason to believe that three more 
would be filled in the same section of country. The 27th infantry was, 
therefore, Avith the assent of the Government, organized and put in rendez- 
vous at Port Huron in command of Lieut. Col. Thomas S. Sprague. The 
authority given by the War Department to Col. Kellogg to raise the 7th 
cavalry was confirmed by the Governor, and that regiment was thereupon 
organized and ordered, under date of October 29th, to rendezvous at Grand 
Rapids. 

At the same time the Governor accorded permission, (the same hav- 
ing been ])reviously given by the General Government, subject to his ap- 
jiroval,) to Col. John Stockton, of INIount Clemens, and to Capt. James J. 
David, of Trenton, then in the U. S. Quartermaster's Department, to raise 
an additional regiment of cavahy, and the 8th was thereupon ordered, with 
its camp at Mount Clemens, and the 9th, which had its rendezvous at Cold- 
water. 

An urgent desire having been nuuiifested to oi'ganize another infixntry 
regiment. Col. Edward Dcjyle, of Detroit, received autliority, with tlie assent 
of the War Department, to raise the 28th; and on application the Depart- 
ment also consented to the raising of a regiment of sharpshooters, tlie organ- 
ization of" which had been placed in the charge of Capt. C. V. DeLand, of 
the 9th infantry. The Government had sjiecially authorized advanced 
bounty and one month's pay to volunteers in either of these regiments, and 
vigorous efforts were very generally entered upon to fill their ranks. 

It was supposed by many citizens that were an o]:)portunity offered for 
men to enlist for the same term as the law provided for drafted levies — nine 
months — larger numbers would avail themselves of it to volunteer for that 
period who declined to accept a longer service. Willing to afford every 
reasonable encouragement to the disposition so generally manifested to fur- 
nish all the men required without resorting to draft, and fully mindful, also, 
of his obligations to the National Government, His Excellency, on the 29lh 
of November, issued a proclanuition which so clearly represents the situation 
at the time, and is so intimately connected with the State military record, 
that we take the liberty of presenting it in full : 



166 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

To the People of the State of Michigan : 

It is essential to the maintenance of the honor of the State, by meeting its 
obligations to the Federal Government, that the quota of the troops required 
of Michigan under the call for 600,000 men should be speedily furnished. 
I have felt great confidence that this might be done without resort to a draft, 
but it will be impossible at the rate enlistments have been making for the 
last month and more. The number required of each town and ward in the 
State has been assigned upon the principle of giving credit for all recruits 
furnished since the first of July last. Substantial justice in this respect has 
been done toward all. To be exact was impossible, and to go back of the 
first of July was impracticable, both because the order of the Secretary of 
War did not authorize it, and because there Avas no reliable record by which 
such credit could be made up with any chance of fairness. 

It is, therefore, indispensable that the several ' towns and wards of cities 
should furnish the number of recruits assigned to them, and I take this oc- 
casion to assure the people that unless the men are furnished by voluntary 
enlistment they will be taken by the draft. 

For the purpose of still giving abundant opportunity to fill the quota of 
the State by voluntary enlistment, recruiting will be continued as follows : 

1st. Recruits will be received for new regiments now forming in the State, 
and for all the old regiments now in the field, until and including the 29th 
day of December next. These must be enlisted for the term of three years 
or during the war. 

2d. From the 1st to the 16th day of December next volunteer recruits 
will be received for the old regiments only to serve for nine months, in pur- 
suance of the act of Congress. 

3d. On the 30th day of December next the draft will commence and pro- 
ceed until the requisite number is obtained in all those towns and wards 
which shall then be found delinquent. 

Less than four thousand men are now required to fill the entire quota of 
the State, and I earnestly hope that they will be found to come forward 
cheerfully and enlid for the war, as all our troops thus far have done. And 
I desire this not so much because there is anything discreditable in a draft, 
as because it is exceedingly desirable that all the troo])s from INIichigan 
should stand on the same footing in the army. Let the people of iMichigau 
make one more loyal and vigorous efibrt, and the entire number required 
can be obtained, and the high reputation of the State for patriotism and 
promptness will be maintained. 

AUSTIN BLAIR. 

Dated Jackson, November 29, 1862. 

The aggregate numl^er of troops enlisted and mustered up to December 
23d, 1862, as reported by the Adjutant-General, was as follows: 

Total, including recruits, sent to the field before July 1st, 1862, 24,281 ; 
" Lancers " and " Hughes' Horse Guards," regularly mustered into the ser- 
vice, but disbanded without leaving the State, 987 ; three regiments of cav- 
alry, ten of infantry, and one battery, sent since July 1st, 13,739; recruits 
(including six for nine months) received from July ist to December 23d, 
2,162 ; estimated strength of three regiments of cavalry, two of intantry, one 
of sharpshooters, and two batteries, organizing in the State, 4,400. Total, 
45,569. 

This does not include volunteers from this State who have gone into the 
regiments of other States, to a number known to exceed 1,400. 

A considerable number of recruits had also been enlisted in the State 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 167 

during the summer and fall for the regular army, probably three or four 
hundred at least. 

These troops, with the exception of a few of the earlier regiments that 
were mustered into service by the late Lieut. Col. E. Buckus, Capt. J. C. 
Eobinson, and Capt. II. R. Miner, U. S. army, were mustered under the 
direction of the late Gen. J. R. Smith, U. S. army, a citizen and resident of 
Michigan, who was United States military commander in the State and 
chief mustering officer until the adoption of the provost marshal's system 
when he was detailed as commissary of musters, in which capacity he served 
until the close of the war. The energetic and faithful services rendered by 
him aided much in facilitating the speedy des])atch of troops to the front. 

The report of the Adjutant-General of the State for 1862 closes with the 
following extract, which undoubtedly exjjressed the estimation in which the 
Michigan troops were held, and did not by any means over-estimate their 
services, and certainly was correct as to the loyalty and patriotism of the 
people at that period of the war : 

"At the time of making the last annual report from this department, cov- 
ering only a small portion of the force now in the service from this State, it 
was thought that the regiments then reported would be all that would be 
required to suppress the rebellion ; but another year is nearly closed, and 
regiment after regiment has been raised, until a large army has gone from 
the State, and still the rebellion goes on. Notwithstanding all this, the 
loyalty and patriotism of the people is unexhausted. The same determina- 
tion seems to exist as at the commencement of the war, that it must be put 
down, and the nation redeemed at any sacrifice. The promptness and cheer- 
fulness with which every call made by the General Government upon the 
State has been responded to bespeaks the intelligent loyal patriotism of its 
people. The people of Michigan are intelligently loyal on the subject of 
the war, and her soldiery are "intelligently brave and patriotic, true to the 
honor of their State and their nation, preferring on all occasions death be- 
fore dishonoring either. 

"The troo])s from the State of Michigan have gained a prominent position 
in the armies of the nation. They have done their duty faithfully, fully, 
and fearlessly, and borne the brunt of many well-fought fields. Some of 
them have proved an anomaly in modern warfare ; suddenly called from 
the common avocations of life, aud within a very few days of the time of 
leaving tiieir native State, they have been pitted against the veteran troops 
of the enemy of their country in superior numbers, an<l completely routed 
them. It has been the fortune of some of them voluntarily and successfully 
to lead the 'forlorn hope,' regardless of opposing numbers. Their scars and 
thinned ranks now attest their services to their country. The honor of their 
nati(m and their State has been safe in their hands, and both will- cherish 
and reward them. INIonuments to the memory of the brave dead are now- 
erected in the hearts of the peoi)le, and national monuments to their mem- 
ory will be erected by a grateful country." 

"The military operations in tlie field in 1862 liad not been much in favor 
of the Union cause. In Deccnd)er the Union army in Virginia had failed 
in its attack on Fredericksburg, the Western army had been successful at 
Stone River in the same month, both important engagements, and in effect 
nearly balancing. Yet the people of the country seemed not to be discour- 
aged nor to falter in their determination to press on to ultimate suc^'css by 
putting down the nefarious rebellion. In good old Michigan loyalty and 
patriotism seemed in the ascendant. 

Governor Blair, iu his message to the Legislature, in January, 1863, in 



168 HISTORY OF jnCHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

speaking to the Michigan soldiers in the field, alludes to their services as 
follows : 

" Gentlemen, I commend the INIichigau troops to your active sympathy 
and support. By their heroic endurance of the hardships of war, and by 
their splendid bravery in battle, they have crowned the State with glory. 
Their battle-cry is 'Michigan! remember Michigan,' and Michigan must 
remember them. We have already a long list of immortal heroes dead in 
battle. I hope you will in some appropriate way place upon the enduring 
records of the State your appreciation of the valor and patriotic devotion of 
these brave men. Let us hand down their names to posterity upon an illu- 
minated page, that they may be revered as examples for all time to come. 
They belong to history now. We must take care that it is rightly written. 
Your hearty thanks are also due to the gallant men who still uphold the 
flag of our country in the field, and have lately borne it on to victory over 
bloody ground. Let us send them warm Avords of cheer from home. May 
God give them other and greater victories, and bring them speedily back 
in peace and triumph. Then, indeed, shall Heaven's arches ring with glad 
shouts of welcome." 

In February following, the Legislature expressed in the following joint 
resolution the sentiments of the Michigan people on the war question: 

"That we are unalterably opposed to any terms of compromise and accom- 
modation with the rebels while under arms and acting in hostility to the 
Government of the Union, and on this we express but one sentiment — un- 
conditional submission and obedience to the laws and Constitution of the 
Union." 

In March, the following preamble and resolutions were passed by the 
Legislature in compliment to the Michigan soldiers in the field : 

Whereas the citizen soldiers of IMichigan have responded cheerfully to 
their country's call, have never hesitated or faltered when duty prompted 
or danger threatened, and by their indomitable fortitude under the fatigues 
and privations of war, their heroic bravery and brilliant achievements upon 
the battle-field, have crowned themselves with glory, and given to Michigan 
imperishable renown ; therefore, 

Mesolvcd by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michi- 
gan, That, tendering to them the thanks of the State for their valuable ser- 
vices, we also assure them that while Michigan thus holds them forth as 
examples of emulation to the soldiers of other States, she is also ])roudly 
grateful to them for the renown Avhich their noble deeds have shed upon 
her name, and claiming them for her own, she points to them with feelings 
of maternal })ride, and in the language of the noble Roman mother exclaims, 
" These are my jewels." 

Resolved, That the Governor be, and he is hereby, required to fi)rward a 
copy of the foregoing preamble and joint resolution to each of the regiments 
and batteries of Michigan soldiers now in the field. 

An act was j^assed liy this Legislature authorizing the payment by the 
Quartermastor-CJenerarof $^)(), State bounty from March (5, 1<S();}, which 
was ccmtinued until November 20th following. The Legislature also legal- 
ized the action of the townships, cities, and counties in raising bt)unties for 
volunteers. 

In compliance with a recommendation of the Governor, the Legislature 
generously ai)propriated S'20,(J()() to assist sick and wounded soldiers in tho 
fiehl, and liUewiso to aid thos(! in the State, and in i)ayment for services of 
agents to ])roperly carry into eliect th(> measure. In 18G5 an additional 
amount of §2.3,000 was set apart for that purpose. 



RAISING OP TROOPS. 169 

Under the law referred to six agents were appointed, and entered upon 
tliis duty: Benjamin Vernon, at Detroit; Dr. J. Turonicliffe, Jr., at Wa.sh- 
iugton, D. C; Luther B. Wilhird, at Kashville, Tenn.; J. B. Gilhnan, at 
Louisville, Ky.; Weston Flint, at St. Louis, Mo.; and Darius Clark, in New 
York city. During the latter part of the war D. A. Millard was employed 
at the AWishiiigton agency. 

The necessity for these agencies became more and more apparent every 
day as the war progressed, proving of immense benefit to the Michigan 
troops in general, and particularly to those Avho found it necessary to accept 
l^ecuniary assistance. The agencies were managed by gentlemen much in 
sympathy with the cause of the soldiers, taking much interest in their wel- 
fare, consequently laboring faithfully in their behalf. 

At the commencement of 1<S();^, three regiments of cavalry, two of infan- 
try, one of sharp-shooters, aud two batteries were in process of recruitment 
within the State. 

During January, the company known as the "Provost Guard," raised by 
Captain E. D. Kobinson, under authority from the War Department, for 
duty at the Detroit Barracks, was mustered into service. Also company 
" L," " Merrill Horse," recruited at Battle Creek by Captain Almon E. 
Preston. 

The 7th cavalry, recruiting for which had commenced in September })re- 
vious, renuiined in rendezvous at Grand Bapids until the 20th of February 
following, when eight companies, which had been completed, were ordered 
to report at Washington, and a few days' thereafter took up their mai'ch fur 
that purpose, under command of Colonel W. I). Mann. The remaining 
battalion was left in camp to recruit, and joined the regiment in the field 
during the month of May. 

The 8th cavalry, at its rendezvous at Mt. Clemens, enlisted a force in 
officers and men of 1,117, as is shown by its muster-in rolls, and two l)at- 
talions moved towards Kentucky on the 12th of May, under command of 
Colonel John Stockton, the remaining companies following two weeks there- 
after. 

The Otli cavalry, mider command of Colonel James J. David, took up its 
line of march from Coldwater to Cincinnati on the 18th, 20th, and 25th of 
May, leaving two incomplete companies to be filled. These soon after joined 
the regiment in the field. The nmster-in rolls show the original strength of 
the regiment as l,07o. 

Recruiting for the two regiments of infantry forming, in December — the 
27th and 28th — proceeded so slowly that it was determined, in view of the 
exigencies of the service, to consolidate them, and on the 1st of February 
the 27th was ordered to break camp at Port Huron and proceed to the ren- 
dezvous of the 28th, at Ypsilanti. The process of consolidation was there 
completed, the united regiments becoming known as the 27th JNIichigan In- 
fantry. On the 12th of A])ril, eight companies being filled, began their 
movement to Cincinnati, under command of Colonel D. M. Fox, their mus- 
ter-in rolls showing an aggregate of 865. The completion of the regiment 
was afterwards effected. 

The 1st regiment of Michigan sharp-shooters,, which had its first rendez- 
vous at Kalanuizoo, was afterward transferred to Dearborn, aud (ju the 8th 
of July, six companies only being filled, was ordered to Indianapolis, under 
command of Colonel C. V. DeLand. The completed muster-in rolls of the 
regiment show an aggregate of 903. 

The 10th battery, under command of Captain J. C. Schultz, left Grand 

K* 



170 



HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



Rapids Avith the 7th cavalry, destined to "Washiugtou, its muster-in roll con- 
tain int; the names of 104 oiiicers and men. 

Tlic 11th battery, under Captain Charles J. Thompson, raised in connec- 
tion with the 9th cavalry, left Coldwater with the regiment, having 108 
names on its muster-in rolls, and reported at headquarters of the Depart- 
ment of Ohio, at Cincinnati. 

The 12th battery. Captain E. G. Hillier, which had a somcAvhat informal 
origin in connection Avith the 8th cavalry, was ordered to Dearl)orn after 
the departure of the latter regiment. It proceeded thence to Indianapolis 
in July. The muster-in roll of the battery shows that up to its completion 
219 oificers and men had been mustered in. 

The quota of the State, under the President's call of August 4, 1862, for 
800,000 militia remaining unfilled, a draft was made in February follow- 
ing, on the basis of the census of 1860, in the counties then in arrear for the 
small deficiency then existing. The number of men drafted was 1278. Of 
this number (either of themselves or by substitutes) 710 were delivered at 
the United States barracks at Detroit, 545 of Avhom were sent to various 
regiments and batteries in the field, a few of the remainder deserting, while 
others were discharged for alienage, disability, or other causes, by United 
States authorities. Of the 545 men thus realized from the draft for a service 
of nine months each, 430 were induced to enlist for three years, 115 only 
going into the field for the shorter term. These facts are exhibited in clearer 
detail in the subjoined table, showing the result of the draft: 



Counties in which draft was 
made. 



Number 
drafted. 



Delivered 
at barracks 



Accounted for at barracks or sent 
to regiments. 



For 3 ye'rs For 9 mos, 



TotaL 



Allegan 

Barry 

Calhoun 

Cass 

Clinton.... . 

Genesee 

Hillsdale.... 

Ingham 

Jackson — 

Lapeer 

Livingston. 
Macomb....; 

Monroe 

Oakland.... 

Saginaw 

Shiawassee. 
St. Clair.... 
St. Joseph.. 

Tu.scola 

Van Ijuron 

Total.. 



45 

47 

8 

56 
41 
76 
68 
65 
49 

158 
84 

127 
74 
59 
19 
45 

178 

16 

7 

56 



33 
37 

2 
44 
28 
60 
39 
36 
24 
92 
42 
64 
39 
19 

4 
25 
72 
14 



20 
10 

2 
34 
17 
36 
15 
20 
12 
56 
31 
44 
26 
13 

3 
11 
47 
11 

22 



2 
21 

1 

11 
8 

16 
5 
8 

14 
4 
2 
6 
1 
1 

10 
1 
1 
1 
2 



1,278 710 430 



22 
31 

2 

35 
28 
44 
31 
25 
20 
70 
35 
46 
32 
14 

4 
21 
48 
12 

1 
24 



115 545 



On the 23d of Juue Col. F. "\V. Kellogg was authorized by the "War De* 



TvAISING OF TROOPS. 171 

partment to raise two additional regiments of cavalry and two more batte- 
ries of artillery, to be completed within forty days. The anthority was u})ou 
the direct and urgent requests of the .Secretary of War endorsed by the 
Governor, although he had determined to raise no more new regiments, but 
to receive volunteers only for the wasted regiments in the field. Having 
thus consented to the ])roposed increase, the lOtli cavalry and loth ])attery 
Avere thereupon, under the personal management of Col. Kellogg, })laced in 
rendezvous at Grand Rapids, and the 11th cavalry and 14th battery were 
also organized under the same direction, with headipiarters at Kalamazoo. 
It was found impracticable, however, to complete these bodies within the 
time originally limited, and the 10th cavaliy, in command of Col. Tliaddeus 
Foote, of Grand Rapids, left its camp for Lexington, Kentucky, on the 1st 
of December, and the 11th, in connnand of Col. 8. 1>. Rrown, of St. Clair, 
for the same destination on the 17th, tlie former numbering 912 and the 
latter 921 on their muster-in rolls. The two batteries remaining in the State 
in the process of organization. 

The Michigan cav^alry had been so uniformly celebrated in the Union 
armies that the War Department gave the State a preference regarding 
that arm of service; consecpiently Michigan furnished eleven regiments, a 
larger proportion of her troops in cavalry than did any other State. To 
Col. Kellogg unusual credit should be awarded, having by indefatigable 
and persistent energy, with great ability and tact in that direction, raised 
six of these fine regiments, an achievement nnparalleled in the recruitment 
of troops in this or any other State. 

In July the Secretary of War commissioned Henry Barns, of Detroit, a 
colonel in the United States army, witli authority to recruit a colored regi- 
ment in JNlichigan. AVith the approval of the Governor he at once com- 
menced this arduous task, and the 1st Michigan colored infantry were i)laced 
in process of recruitment. The organization was completed on the 17th of 
February following, when it was mustered into the service of the United 
States, with 895 names on its rolls. The designation of the regiment was 
afterwards changed by the War Department, with the consent of the Gov- 
ernor of the State, to the 102d United States colored troops. It left its ren- 
dezvous at Detroit on the 28th of March to join the Ninth Army Corps, then 
at Annapolis, INIaryland. 

In JMarch, 186.3, the Congress of the United States passed " An act for 
enrolling and calling out the national forces," which provided elaborate 
details for the accomplishment of the object in view, leaving their execution 
exclusively in the hands of the Federal authorities. 

Under the law referred to, the national force was declared to consist, with 
certain specified exceptions, of " all able-bodied male citizens of the United 
States and persons of foreign birth who shall have declared on oath their in- 
tention to become citizens under and in pursuance of the laws thereof, be- 
tween the ages of twenty and forty-five years ;" and this force was divided 
into two classes, the first to comprise " all persons subject to do military duty 
between the ages of twenty and thirty-five years, and all unmarried persons 
subject to do military duty above the age of thirty-five and under the age 
of forty-five ," the second to comprise "all other persons sul)ject to do mili- 
tary duty ;" and it was provided that the latter class " shall not, in any dis- 
trict, be called into the service of the United States until those of the first- 
class shall have been called." Each Congressional district was f jrmed into 
an enrollment district, a provost marshal and board of enrollment provided 
for each, and tliese districts were again divided into sub-districts, consisting 
of wards and townships. 



172 



HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



Lieut. Col. Bennett H. Hill, 5th U. S. artillery, was appointed by the 
"War Department xVcting Assistant Provost IMarshal General of the ^rate. 
Col. Hill proved to be an officer of great executive ability, truly loyal and 
patriotic. He superintended the enrollment and drafting in Michigan dur- 
ijig the war. He was a graduate of the Military Academy at West Point 
and a native of the District of Columbia. 

The following named gentlemen served as provost marshals : 

First District — John S. Newberry, of Detroit, who was succeeded by jMark 
Flanigan, of the same place; headquarters at Detroit. 

Second District — Rollin C. Dennison, of Kalamazoo ; headquarters at that 
place. 

Third District — Robert J. Barry, of Ann Arbor ; headquarters at Jack- 
son. 

Fourth District — Norman Bailey, of Hastings ; headquarters at Grand 
Rapids. 

Fifth District — Charles M. Walker, of Lapeer, now of Adrian, who was 
succeeded by William M. McConnell, of Pontiac ; headquartei-s at that 
point. 

Sixth District — Randolph Strickland, of St. John's ; headquarters at Flint. 

The rendezvous for the reception of drafted men was established at Grand 
Rapids, and was placed in charge of Gen. S. G. Champlin, formerly of 3d 
Michigan, and remained under his command until disability caused by 
wounds rendered his continuance on duty impossible. He was relieved by 
Col. Norman J. Hall, of the 7th Michigan, who was in turn relieved by Col. 
Charles H. Town, 1st Michigan cavalry. 

The rendezvous was continued at Grand Rapids until March 4th, 1864, 
when it was changed to Jackson on account of its central location. Col. G. 
S. Wormer had charge of it until authorized to raise the 30th infantry, when 
he was relieved on the 20th of November following by Gen. L. Cutler, of 
AVisconsin, Avho continued in command until recruiting for the armies ended. 

Through these agencies a general enrollment was made during the sum- 
mer ; the following exhibit, is derived from the returns made to Colonel 
Hill, showing the total numbers so enrolled in the State : 



First Congressional District. 



Way no, 

Moliioc, 

Lonawce, 

Uill6<la)o, 



White Col. Total, 



6825 
1K70 
37.39 

240 8 

■uyo2 



ISSO 
S791 
248 1 
15132 



Third Congression.Hl District. 



re 4143 Eaton, 
2 lO.SS Innlmr 



1982 Calhoun, 
14151 jWrtflitenaw, 
jHckpon, 



Second Congressional District. 



Kalaninzoo, 

.><t..),.M.|,h, 

UraiK-h. 

Alleftan, 

liori'icQ, 

Cass. 

Vim Ilnrfn. 



Total, 



2720 

2.31)2 
2II4S 
1794 
22U9 



27R3 
2322 

2i)r,i 

18141 llHXi 
22f.7 1244 
1701 S4S 
IGoS 9iJ9 
1408017527 



IS 12,')1 
6 1101 
2 1133 



1015 



White Col. Total 



1498 
1579 
3045 
3822 
2990 



12940 



_3024 
13098 



Fifth Congressional District. 



Oakland, 
Livingston, 
Lapeer, 
1202: ISani lac, 
St. Clair, 
Macomb, 

TotalT 



3798 


52 


3S50 


1814 


S 


1822 


1480 


12 


1498 


909 


3 


912 


2347 


9 


2350 


2008 


11 


2079 


12422 


95 


12517 



1G72 
784 
776 
395 
1347 
1183 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 



173 



Fourth Congressional District. 






Sixth 


Congressional District. 






Kent. 


2788 


^ 


2795 


1804 


7 


1811 


Clinton, 


1366 


1 


1367 


7.31 




731 


Ionia. 


1772 


r> 


1778 


9(14 


1 


905 


Shiawassee, 


1313 


2 


1315 


730 




730 


Ottawa, 


1303 


20 


1383 


802 


3 


865i 


Genesee, 


2375 


5 


2380 


1162 




1162 


Barry. 


1320 


S 


1328 


812 


3 


815; 


Gratiot, 


500 


5 


571 


306 


... 


306 


Montcalm, 


f,22 


3 


625 


201 


1 


202! 


Tnscola, 


050 


... 


650 


394 


... 


394 




925 


.3 


928 


271 




271' 


Huron, 


590 




590 


192 




192 


Oceana, 


229 


3 


232 


02 


1 


93' 


Isabella, 


153 


... 


153 


61 


... 


61 




3-12 




342 


174 


1 


175 


Alpena, 


124 




124 


45 


... 


45 




222 


2 


224 


78 


... 


7S 


Iosco, 


58 




58 


14 


... 


14 


Mason, 


100 




100 


31 




31 


-Midland, 


189 


1 


190 


44 




44 


Manitou, 


loo 




100 


48 




48 


liav. 


934 


6 


940 


324 




324 




INS 




1S8 


51 




51 


ii^asinaw. 


2344 


4 


2348 


1047 




1047 


Grand Traverse, 


2t;:; 




20", 


91 




91 


ChipiK.wa, 


134 


1 


135 


35 




35 


SheliovRan, 


30 




3G 


24 




:^\ 


Marquette, | 


523 


•^ 


525 


86 




86 


Mackinac. 


1S4 




LS4 


.•)3 




i>.\\ 
















Delta. 


ino 


1 


140 


25 




25 


UoiiKhton, 


642 




642 


120 




120 


Leelanaw. 


143 




143 


50 




50 


ICeweenaw, 


903 


2 


905 


253 


... 


263 


Denzic, 


8.-) 




85 


4t) 


1 


4-1 


Ontonagon, 


641 


1 


642 


200 




200 


Muske-on, 


51 




51 


10 




19- 


Menominee, 


123 




123 


23 




23 


p;mnii'tt, 


27 




27 


15 




15, 


















10S9i 


~53 




5720 


~is 


5744J 


Total, 


13628 


30 


13658 


5767 


... 




Total. 


10947 


5767 





Recapitulation by Districts. 








First class. 


Second class. 




White. 


Colored.' 


Total. 


^yhite. 


Colored. 


Tot.il. 


First Congressional District 

Second Con,-r.'s-ion;il District 

Third Congirssii.iiiil District 

Fourth Connre.ssiuiiul District 

Fifth Congressional District 

Sixth Congresflioual District 


14.902 
14.266 
12.940 
10,894 
12.422 
13,028 


230 
420 
158 
53 
95 
30 


15.132 
14.086 
13.098 
10.947 
12,517 
13,658 


8.509 
7,-527 
6.235 
5.726 
6.144 
5,767 


89 
144 
54 
IS 
13 


8.598 
7.071 
6.2S9 
5.744 

6.1.57 
5,7 07 


T0t.1l 


79,052 


986 


80,038 


39,908 


318 


40,220 



On the completion of the enrollment m each of the several States, a draft 
was ordered to be made of one-fifth of the first class so enrolled therein ; 
thus number, however, to be subject to such modifications as might be pro- 
duced by an adjustment of the surplus or deficiency existing in the accounts 
of each State under previous calls. In other words, a State which had fur- 
nished more than had been asked for under previous calls of the General 
Government was to be credited with the excess. In making the computa- 
tions necessary to this adjustment, the term of service and number of' men 
furnishe(Uwere alike taken into account, and the advantages to the people 
of the State of the policy which had prevailed of encouraging three years' 
enlistments, at periods when other States were placing nine months' or two 
years' men in the field, became strikingly manifest. A statement sent to 
the Adjutant-General's office from the War Department gave, on the 26th 
of yiay, a surplus to be applied on the impending draft of 4^403 men. It 
had been the practice, in the absence of official data from Washington, to 
estimate the quota of Michigan under the calls of 1861 at 19,500, that being 
about the result of calculatit^ns based upon the census returns of population. 
It appeared by this statement, however, that the Federal authorities had 
assumed 21,357 as the apportionment of the State under the call referred 
to. Nulwithstanding the diminution occasioned by this discovery, the sur- 
plus credited to us still appeared to be considerably less than was due the 



174 



HISTORY OF MICIIIGAX DURING THE REBELLION, 



State according to its own records, and after correspondence and examina- 
tion the legitimate credit of tlie State was estimated on the 19th of Septem- 
ber at a total, reduced to a three years' standard, of 9,518, including such 
as had been enlisted since the statement of IMay 26th. 

The extent of our territory, and the difficulty of communication in some 
poi-tions of it, Avith other causes perhaj)s, delayed the completion of the en- 
rollment until the fall. On the 27th of October, a di'aft began in the sec- 
ond, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth Congressional districts, and on. the 5th 
of November in the first — the number of enlistments which had been made 
down to those dates having been previously added to the credits of the several 
sub-districts. The upper peninsula was not included in the draft. 

In making a draft under the existing law, it was provided that fifty per 
cent, be added to the number required to cover exemptions, &c. — the quota 
actually called for to be taken in the order of numerical precedence from 
the whole number drawn. The total number drafted in the State Avas 6,383. 
Of these, 261 were delivered at the general rendezvous at Grand Rapids, 
643 furnished acceptable substitutes, (43 of whom deserted before reaching 
rendezvous,) 1,626 paid each $300 commutation money, 1,596 were exempted 
for physical disability, 330 as aliens, 204 for unsuitableness of age, and 
1,069 failed to re2:)ort. The subjoined table, giving the result in each Con- 
gressional district, is interesting : 





^J 










c 


43 


u 


•J2 


w 


ft 


A 


13 






tc 












-H 


rJl 



Number drafted 

Drafts delivered at rendezvous 

Drafts deserted 

Substitutes delivered 

Substitutes deserted 

Paid commutation 

Enlisted in service 

Exempted for physical disability 

Exempted for mental disability 

Exempted as aliens 

Exempted as non-residents 

Exempted, over or under age 

Exempted, only sons of infirm parents, 
&c : 

Exempted, fathers of dependent child- 
ren, not twelve years old 

Exempted, having two brothers in ser- 
vice 

Exempted, in service March 3, 1863.. 

Exempted for conviction of felony 

Exempted fur all other causes 

Failed to report 



532 1402 1083 
15 76! 46 



38 

1 

176 



156 



97 

5 

387 



472 

2 

26 



41 



23 51 



1147 
61 



1197 
16 



1022 



53 

10 

430 



30 



191 



20 14 14 



3 

13 

1 

8! 13) 28 
61 1 165 172 



281 
128 
304 



1 

5 

193 



351 
25 

58 



254 



107 
12 

45t 

45 

10 

5 
20 



241 



31 

2 

294 



219 

2 

85 

12 

34 



6383 

261 

3 

600 

43 

1626 

128 

1596 

4 

330 

54 

204 



29 210 
16 79 



4i 33 

7 1 79 

4 

3' 60 

237 1069 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 175 

The total amount of money ]iaid to the bounty fund of the General Gov- 
ernment by men taken under this draft, as commutation to secure exemp- 
tion from personal service, was four himdred and ei<j;hty-seven thousand 
eight hundred dollars, ($487,800.) • 

In October a new system of recruiting was adojjted by the "War Depart- 
ment, allowing to persons pro])erly authorized as reci'uiting agents $15 for 
each recruit. Subsequently this allowance was extended to all citizens 
alike. For the purpose of encouraging volunteer enlistments, Government 
l)()unties to volunteers were also largely increased — 8302 to th(jse going into 
service for the first time, and $402 to veterans re-enlisting, while local boun- 
ties of liberal amount were offered in most of the counties. 

On the 17th of October, the President of the United States issued a j)roc- 
lamation calling upon "the Governors of the different States to raise and 
have enlisted into the United States service for the various companies and 
regiments in the field from their respective States, their quotas of 300,000 
men." It was further proclaimed that the large bounties previously ordered 
should be continued to volunteers, and that if any State or district should 
fail to fill its quota, a draft would l)e made on the 5th of January ensuing, 
for the deficiency. The quotas of the several Congressional districts of the 
State were assigned by the Provost INIarshal- General as f dlows : first dis- 
trict, 2,137 ; second district, 2,074; third district, 1,8()1 ; fourth district, 
1,545; fifth district, 1,708 ; sixth district, 1,913— total for the State, 11,298. 

The Governor, ever ready for action when the necessities of the Govern- 
ment required it, desirous of securing a "prompt and effective response to the 
call of the President, issued a stirring proclamation, of which follows an 
extract, invoking immediate and energetic action by the people to meet the 
demand without a draft : 

" This call is for soldiers to fill the ranks of the regiments in the field — 
those regiments which by long and gallant service have wasted their num- 
bers in the same proportion that they have made a distinguished name, 
both fur themselves and the State. The people of Michigan will recognize 
this as a duty already too long delayed. Our young men, I trust, will 
hasten to stand beside the heroes of Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, 
Stone river, and Chicamauga. 

" The hopes of the rebellion are steadily perishing. The armies of the 
Republic are in the midst of their country, and they have not the power to 
expel them. 

" Fill up the ranks once more, and the next blast of the bugle for an 
advance will sound the knell of revolution and herald in the return of 
peace. 

" Fellow-citizens, let us do it willingly, gallantly, joyously. The people of 
^lichigan have heretofore earned the gratitude of the country by their 
promjjtness and energy in the support of the Government." 

This appeal was received by the people of the State with the same cordial 
response that had characterized their action on all previous demands of the 
Government, and they went to work Avith their usual alacrity and success. 

The returns and muster-rolls on file «how that from December 23, 1862, 
down to December 31, 1863, there had been mustered thirteen thousand five 
hundred and sixty-seven, (13,567,) and an aggregate of fifty-three thousand 
seven hundred and forty-nine (53,749) since the beginning of the war, 
leaving out of the account all troops disbanded, estimated, and those pay- 
ing commutation, and confining the statement to the men actually put in 
service. 

Having in our narrative reached the close of 1863, we include the closing 



176 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

notice of Michigan troops in the field from the report of the Adjutant-Gen- 
eral of the 8tate for that year, assigning it to its i)roper place at this time: 

" The war against the rebellion has consumed another year. Loyal States 
have furnished quota after quota of men to suj^port it. Michigan has speed- 
ily and cheerfully responded to every call, and fully complied with every 
requirement of the Government. Michigan will continue to do so until 
every rebel in arms against the Republic shall be defeated and sue for 
peace. JNIichigan is in earnest in this cause, and seeks no other course but 
to fight on until a peace is successfully conquered, and until every rebel 
State is brought into submission to the power of the National Government 
and is made to acknowledge their allegiance to the Constitution and the 
laws of the land. Michigan, as evinced by the patriotism of her citizens at 
home and the bravery of her soldiers in the field, is truly loyal, and nobly 
gives her influence, her means, and the best blood of her people to put down 
forever this unjust, unreasonable, and selfish rebellion. 

" During the present rebellion there have been many encouraging and 
promising features developed in the prosecution of the war against it that 
have indicated its successful and satisfactory termination, but none more 
forcible, or that will fill a brighter page in its history, or denote more 
strongly the determination of the people of the Union to bring this rebellion 
to a desirable and permanent issue and to sustain and perpetuate the na- 
tional existence, or that exhibits more love for the Republic and free insti- 
tutions than the patriotic and glorious tribute voluntarily made to their 
country by the re-enlisted veterans who are now swelling the ranks of the 
grand armies. They are returning in masses to their native States, receiv- 
ing the well-deserved blessings and thanks of their country, their families 
and friends, scattering an influence and a power in behalf of their States 
and their nation that makes every lover of his native land and his race re- 
joice in great hopefulness in the future. None can doubt their patriotism. 
None can question their honesty of purpose. They are a hope and encour- 
agement to the loyal and true, and a blight on those who would wilfully 
suffer a national disgrace. Michigan, in common with her sister States, is 
proud of her veteran troops returning to her, as they do, from the hard- 
fought battles of many fields, scarred, wounded, and weather-beaten — glo- 
rious evidences of faithful service, true bravery, and gallant deeds — marks 
that endear them to their State and entitle them to a page in the history of 
her heroes. Having again pledged themselves to defend their Government 
against all its enemies, they are returning to the field, carrying Avith them 
the blessings of their friends and the gratitude of their State, again, it nuiy 
be, to face the leaden storm from rebel ranks, and to add new laurels to 
those already gathered by them on the sanguinary fields of the South ; and 
while the people praise and bless the living heroes who return to them who 
have participated in those scenes of national strife, and will cause their 
names to be handed down to future generations as defenders of the freedom 
of their nation and their race, they will also have a warm ])lace in their 
memories for those who return not, but who have passed away amidst those 
scenes of conflict and bravely given up their lives in the same glorious cause, 
and long remember them with gratitude and reverence for their devotion 
and sacrifice, and cause the page of history to record them as amongst the 
greatest patriots of their day and as martyrs to the freedom of all nnmkind. 

"The troops from Michigan have, in common with those from other States, 
shared in the hardships and dangers of the campaigns of the past year. 
They have also shared with them in the glory of their victories, and with 
them nobly and courageously sustained the proAvess of the Union arms in 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 177 

every engagement. Micliigan rejoices at the laurels gathered by the troops 
froni otlier 8tates, in common with her own, while gloriously and bravely 
battling with hers, as companions in arms on the same fields, and laments 
them as companions in death, falling side by side in the cause of their com- 
mon country; and while she cheerfully extends to the Union troops in 
general her mete of })raise and gratitude for their bravery in battle, and 
their devotion to the cause of freedom and free institutions, it belongs to her 
in duty to her own troops, to award to them her especial, grateful acknowl- 
edgement of her indebtedness to them for the eminent and honorable posi- 
tion which she has acquired among her sister States in the prosecution of 
this war, in vindication of national freedom ; and Avhile she would not, l)y 
detraction from the meritorious and gallant services of other troops, exalt 
her own, still she is proud to say that no regiment of her gallant sons has, 
in a single instance, disgraced either itself or tarnished her honoral)le and 
bright escutcheon ; but they have been found manfully fighting in the front 
ranTc on every field, and have been trusted and relied upon for efficiency in 
cases of emergency and great danger, and have been specially distinguished 
as possessing, in the highest degree, that characteristic so essential to suc- 
cess in Avar — true courage." 

The prominent feature in the war operations of 1863 was the important 
battle of Gettysburg. That battle, which in effect proclaimed with most 
terrible force to the monster rebellion : " Thus fiir hast thou dared to come, 
but must advance no farther at thy peril ; back to thy rebel den ; hence- 
forth you can only fight on the defensive, for thy aggressive power is broken, 
and you must crumble to pieces until thou art dead — thy rebel spirit 
crushed to atoms, never to rise again." 

In tlie beautiful cemetery, where now quietly rest the dead heroes of that 
terrible strife, lie the bodies of two hundred and twelve (212) brave Michigan 
men, being the third largest in nund)ers from any State. Michigan, there- 
fore, in common- with her sister States, claims a general credit for her troops 
on that occasion, but nothing more ; the honor is national, not State. 

The operations in the field in Virginia during the year closed with the 
movement made across the Rapidau by the Army of the Potomac and the 
assault on the enemy's position at Mine Run, which, after a feeble effort on 
the part of the Union forces, resulted in failure, and the recrossing of the 
army to its former position. This, of course, neither strengthened the army 
nor encouraged the hearts of the Northern people ; neither were the former 
disposed to quail under defeat, nor the latter to despair at disappointment. 

In the AVest they ended Avith the splendid Union victory at Mission 
Ridge, which so closely followed the terrible assault at Chicamauga, and, 
in a measure, counteracted the effect of that memorable disaster. 

The important event occurring Avith the commencement of 1864 was the 
return of the " veterans " previously mentioned, who had re-enlisted for 
an(^ther term of service, and were in turn on furlough and reorganizing 
within the State. 

The men of Michigan entitled to re-enlist had availed themselves of the 
opportunity with great alacrity, and to an extent, in view of the hardships 
they had already encountered, that Avas almost surprising. • 

Five thousand five hundred and forty-five of them accepted the propo- 
sition of the GoA-ernment, entitling the foUoAving organizations to Avhich 
thev belonged to the designation of " A'eteran :" 1st, 2d, and 3d caA'alrv ; 
2d,'3d, 4th; 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, r2th. 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th regi- 
ments of infantry; the 6th heavy artillery, formerly 6th infantry, and bat- 
teries **B," "C," and "E," 1st light artillery, together with 148 of the eugi- 
L 



178 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

neers and mechanics. There were also many others in regiments of other 
States, for which credits were given to Michigan, although not all made 
available, either to the State or the soldiers themselves. 

The Legislature, on February 5, 1864, authorized the payment of S50 
State bounty, from November 11, 1863, to February 4, 1864, to the re- 
enlisted veterans, and directed the payment of $100 to all soldiers enlisting 
or re-enlisting after that date, which was continued until May 14th following. 
Townships, wards, and cities were at this time also empowered by the Legis- 
lature to raise money by tax for the purpose of paying bounties to volun- 
teers, not exceeding two hundred dollars to each soldiei'. 

At the commencement of this year there was pending the call of the 
President, of October 17th, for Michigan's quota of 300,000 men, assigned 
at 11,298. 

On the 1st of February the following order was issued from Washington : 

Executive Mansion, February 1, 1864. 
Ordered : That a draft for five hundred thousand men, to serve for three 
years or during the war, be made on the tenth day of March next, for the 
military service of the United States, crediting or deducting therefrom so 
many as may have been enlisted or drafted into the service prior to the first 
day of March, and not heretofore credited. 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 

The practical interpretation of this order by the Provost IMarshal-General 
made this merely an extension of the call of October 17, to the amount of 
200,000 men, or, in other words, a new call of that number. 

On the 14th of March ensuing, the President made an additional order 
for two hundred thousand men, designating the 15th day of April as the 
time up to which the quotas could be raised by voluntary enlistments, and 
as soon after that date as practicable a draft should be made for the deficit 
on both calls. 

An act, approved July 4th, of this year, authorized the President to 
accept volunteers for one, two, or three years, at the option of tlie recruit, 
and limited the term of men drafted to fill deficiencies under the President's 
calls, to one year. The commutation system was also abolished, as had 
previously been the distinction of classes as regards age, which had been 
made in the fii'st enrollment act. 

On the 18th of July the President, under authority of this act, issued a 
proclamation calling for 500,000 men, and directing that credits be allowed 
to States in the reduction of their quotas for all the men furnished for the 
military service in excess of all previous calls, and that volunteers be ac- 
cepted for one, two, or three years, as they might elect; and further, that 
immediately after the 5th day of September a draft for troops to serve for 
one year should be made for deficiencies existing at that date. 

The appearance of this call received a prompt response on the part of the 
Governor, who immediately issued his i)roclamation calling for early and 
earnest efforts to meet the Presidential requisition upon the people of this 
State, and pointing out in explicit terms the readiest and most feasible plans 
of doing so. The proclamatiim, which belongs to the history of Michigan, 
finds a proper place here : 

" The President of the United States, in pursuance of a law of Congress, 
has issued his call for five hundred thousand (500,000) volunteers for the 
military service, and has directed that immediately after the 5th day of 
September, 1864, a draft of troops, to serve for one year, shall be held in 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 170 

every town or suh-clistrict, to fill the quota which shall be assigned to it, 
which shall remain unfilled on the said 5th day of September, 18G4. 

" I believe this call to have been eminently proper and necessary for the 
public service, and being such, to demand the patriotic, earnest, and hearty 
response of the people. That it will l)e met in the same spirit that has put. 
Michigan thus far largely in excess of all previous calls, there can be no 
doubt. The rebellion, as' it approaches its final overthrow, grows steadily 
more desperate, wicked, and hateful. Covered with the blood of patriots, 
cursed with the dying breath of starved prisoners, and abhorred by all good 
men for its barbarous butcheries of the unarmed who have ceased to fight, 
it must perish utterly. The people of this State, remembering their past 
sacrifices only as an additional motive to gi*eater exertions in the future, will, 
I know, enter upon this present duty with the activity and energy which 
does not admit of failure. 

"The quota assigned to the State is eighteen thousand two hundred and 
eighty-two, (18,282,) of which only a little over twelve thousand (12,000) 
remain to be recruited, or drafted if the recruiting fails. For the purpose 
of filling the quota, only two resources are available, viz: 1st. Recruiting 
in the States declared to be in reliellion, under the act of July 4th, except 
the States of Arkansas, Tennessee, and Louisiana ; and 2d. Recruiting among 
our own people. The first of these, I believe, Avill bo found of no substantial 
value to us at present, for obvious reasons. The points at which this recruit- 
ing is to be carried on are so remote that the period of fifty days will not 
be sufficient to enable agents to accomplish very much during that time, 
and they would meet the active competition of the older States, paying 
much larger bounties than our laws enable us to do. I shall not, therefore, 
appoint any such agents to be paid by the State, but will, under proper 
regulations, appoint such agents for the benefit of any counties, towns, or 
sub-districts which may request it, paying the expenses of the agencies for 
themselves. They will, of course, also be entitled to the credits. This 
course is also justified by the fact that the State has no funds appropriated 
by law for this purpose. 

' "Substantially, then, our only resource will be that which has always here- 
tofore been found sufficient, the patriotism of our own people. 

"Recruits will be allowed to enlist for one, two, or three years, as they may 
prefer, and as fiir as practicable each recruit may select the regiment in 
which he will enlist. This will always be allowed in the regiments in the 
field, so long as such regiments are below the maximum number. As an 
inducement to enlist, the Government of the United States will pay a bounty 
of one hundred dollars to recruits enlisting for one year, two hundred dol- 
lars fi)r those enlisting for two years, and three hundred for those enlisting 
for three year.?. Such local bounties will be paid as the pci^ple of the sev- 
eral towns, wards, and sub-districts may authorize in pursuance of law. No 
State bounty can be paid, for the reason that the appropriation made for 
that purpose is exhausted. For the purpose of aiding the recruiting service 
and giving direction to the public eff.)rts, six new regiments will be auth()r- 
ized, one of them being located in each Congressional district, and I will 
receive all the new companies that may be ottered during tlie fifty days of 
recruiting. All the recruit'^ offered for' the new regiments and compani&s, 
however, must be enlisted for three years or during the war. Those who 
enlist for a shorter term than three years will go into the regiments now in 
the field. 

"I earnestly recommend to all those who enlist under this call, whether in 
the new organizations or the old ones, to do so for the war. ThLs State has 



180 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

thus far raised no troops for a less term than three years. Both for the 
Government and the soldier the longest term is (he best. Let us continue 
to adhere to this policy, which has given us a most honorable position in the 
service, and the reputation of the Michigan soldiery, Avhich is now unsur- 
passed, will continue to grow. 

" The work of filling up the quota of the State is for the people. The close 
of the war visibly approaches, and the sure triumph of the Union cause 
grows manifest. 

" Our troops are now led by tried and victorious generals, leaving nothing 
to be desired in that direction. Conquering Union armies are in the very 
midst of the Confederacy, progressing . steadily towards the final victory. 
Let the people of the country stand firmly by the lawful Government, and 
they can safely meet Avhat is to come." 

Immediately following this proclamation orders were promulgated from 
the Adjutant-General's ofiice authorizing the recruitment of six regiments, 
one in each Congressional district, permission therefor having been received 
from the War Department. 

On the 26th of July, Col. J. W. Hall was authorized to reorganize the 
4th infantiy, the term of service of which had expired and the regiment 
mustered out of service. The rendezvous of the regiment Avas located at 
Adrian, where the old 4th was organized, and Col. Hall was made com- 
mandant of the camp, with the first district for his operations. 

On the 29th of the same month, orders were issued to reorganize the 3d 
infantry, whose term had also expired. Col. M. B. Houghton, Avho Avas 
connected with the old organization, Avas entrusted Avith the charge of rais- 
ing the new regiment, and its camp Avas placed at Grand Rapids, Avith the 
fourth district for the field of its recruiting. 

On the same day the sixth district Avas provided for by the appointment 
of Hon. John F. Driggs to take charge of the organization of a ncAV regi- 
ment therein, to be called the 31st infantry, with its headquarters at Sagi- 
naw. 

A regiment for the third district, to be called the 29th infantry, aa'us, on 
the 9th of August, authorized to be raised at Marshall, Avith Hon. S. S. Lacey 
for commandant of camp. 

In the second district, Hon. "W. B.Williams, of Allegan, AA'as, on the 15th 
of August, entrusted with the organization of the 28th infantry, Avith the 
camp at Kalamazoo. 

On the 24th of August, Major John Atkenson, of the 22d infantry, was 
authorized to raise and organize the 30th infantry, its rendezvous to be at 
Pontiac. 

The exigencies of the services did not permit the complete organization 
of these regiments before the enforcement of the impending draft. 

ScA^en companies, Avhich had been raised for the 30th at Pontiac, Avere 
distributed betAA'ceu the 3d and 4th, four companies going to the former and 
three to the latter, and the organization of the 30th Avas abandoned. 

Tlie 3d, thus reinforced, completed its organization at once, and being 
mustered in Avitli 879 officers and men, left camp for Nashville, October 20. 

The 4th also Avas, by the same means, enabled to take the field, (A\diere a 
numlicr of men belonging to the old organization, Avhose terms Avere unex- 
pired, yet remained,) and left the State Avitli, 72G officers and men on the 
22(1 of the same month, also fin- Nashville. 

The 28th and 29th Avere cons(^lidated into one regiment, designated as the 
28th, Avhich, after completing its organization at Kalamazoo, took its route 
thence for Nashville, October 26, Avith 886 officers and men. 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 181 

The Sixth District regiment completed its orgauization from its own ter- 
ritory, and was the first of the new regiments to leave the kState, having 
broken camp at Saginaw and taken its departure for Nashville on the Gtli 
of October, with 854 officers and men. The regiments originally known as 
the 30th and 29th, having been consolidated with others, as mentioned above, 
this regiment was numbered the 29th. 

Recruiting haviug been prosecuted with more or less vigor throughout the 
State, a draft took place on the 10th of June to fill deficiencies under all 
former calls, including that of October 17, 1863, and those of February 1 
and March 14, 1864, which was followed by supplementary drafts in sub- 
districts which the principal draft failed to fill. And again, on the 20th of 
September, there was another draft to supply deficiencies under the call of 
July 18 and those which remained under the calls preceding it. 

The results of the efforts made during the first ten months of the year in 
the several counties of this State to fill the armies of the United States, both 
by enlistment and by draft, are as follows : The number of volunteers en- 
listed in the army, 20,041 ; the number of men drafted, 1,956 ; the number 
of veterans re-enlisted, 5,445 ; the number of men enlisted in the navy, 430 ; 
the total credits in numbers, 27,972 ; the numbers credited on each term of 
service from the 1st of January to the 31st of October, 1864 — one year, 
5,002; two years, 39 ; three years, 22,931. 

The men who paid commutation, as provided by laws in force previous to 
July 4th, are included among the drafised men to the number of 356. 

It is shown in this exhibit that the total number of men raised in the State 
between the 1st of January and 31st of October, 1864, including drafted 
men commuting, was 27,972 ; deduct men commuting, 356 ; total number 
of men actually raised during the ten months mentioned, 27,616. 

The report of the Adjutant-General's department for 1863 showed that 
the actual number of men furnished by the State from the beginning of the 
war to December 31, 1863, was 53,749 ; the number furnished during the 
first ten months of 1864, as shown above, is 27,616 ; making a total to No- 
vember 1, 1864, of 81,365. The true credit of the State, as represented at 
the War Department, up to the last date mentioned, is obtained by adding 
the number of men commuting, viz : 1,982 ; showing the total credit of the 
State to be, 83,347. 

The striking tact is exhibited by these figures that during ten months 
only of 1864 the State of JNIichigan had furnished more than half as many 
men for the service as were sent from the State during the whole of the first 
three years of the war, and of this large number of men actually furnished 
only 1,600 were drafted. 

The system of preserving records of credits by sub-districts, required by 
the laws for enrolling and calling out the national forces, did not become 
practically operative until the 19th of September, 1863. In the books of 
the War Department enlistments made previous to that date were entered 
to the credit of the State at large. All that had been made after that were 
placed directly to the credit of the sub-district furnishing them. 

Approximate number of troops furnished by the State prior to November 
1st, 1864: Credits from January 1st to October 31st,_1864, 27,972; enlist- 
ments prior to January 1, 1864,' 49,793 ; additional enlistments not included 
in above from January 1, 1864, 2,026 ; aggregate October 31, 1864, 79,791. 
This statement does not include the three month's infantry, IMichigan com- 
panies in regiments of other States, and some 2,000 additional sohlicrs whose 
residence could not be ascertained. 

The above aggregate is somewhat smaller than the aggregate shown in 



182 



HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



previous statements to have been furnished, and the difference is caused by 
the number enlisting in the earlier stages of the war whose residence Avas 
not reported or could not be obtained. The entire three mouths' regiment 
enlisting in 1861 is for this cause omitted from the figures of the statement. 

The term of service of the 11th infantry having expired during the 
month of September, 1864, a desire was manifested by some of the officers 
of that regiment to renew its organization. Orders were issued accordingly, 
on the 3d of that month, and authority given to Col. Wm. L. Stoughton to 
command the camp of rendezvous at Sturgis. 

On the 3d of November, Major-General Hooker, commanding the Depart- 
ment, being here on a personal inspection, I'ecommended to the Secretary of 
War, that in view of the exposed condition of the frontier, then threatened 
by outlaws and their sympathizers in Canada, and the limited number of 
troops posted for its defence, a regiment of volunteers for twelve months be 
raised in the State for duty along the Detroit and St. Clair rivers. De- 
spatches investing the Governor with authority for this purpose were the 
next day received from Washington, and on the 7th orders were issued to 
organize the BOth Infantry, with its rendezvous at Jackson. In acting upon 
applications for authority to raise companies and parts of companies for this 
regiment, preference was given to those who had seen service. On the 22d, 
Lieut. Col. G. S. Wormer, of the 8th cavalry, was appointed colonel of the 
30th, and commandant of camp. Its rendezvous and headquarters were, 
on the 10th December, removed to Detroit. 

The approach of the winter caused no abatement of the activity of the 
Union armies nor checked the increasing magnitude of their operations. 
To meet the necessities of the gigantic campaigns then going forward under 
the direction of the Lieuteuant-Geueral, the President on the 19th of Decem- 
ber issued a call for 300,000 men to supply a deficiency on the call of the 
18th of July, and directing that should the quotas assigned not be filled be- 
fore the fifteenth day of February following, a draft should be made for 
the deficiency then existing. 

The enrollment of the State was carefully corrected and adjusted by the 
Boards in the several sub-districts, and the quotas assigned to each. 

The enrollment of the counties, with their respective quotas under the 
call, are exhibited in the following table : 



Counties. 


Enrollment, 
Dec. 31, '64. 


Quota, call of 
Dec 19, '64. 


Counties. 


Enrollment, 
Dec 31, '64. 


Quota, call of 
Dec 19, '64. 


Allegan 


1,472 

80 

49 

2,220 

2,439 

1,14(J 

528 

120 

59 

1,467 

3,174 

1,347 

35 

1,527 

21 


206 

5 

10 

250 

317 

165 

25 

26 

66 

174 

472 

57 

'234"' 

2 


Gr. Traverse... 
Genesee . . 


181 
1,954 

375 
2,728 

780 

213 
1,708 
1,813 

123 
30 
3,135 
2,905 
1,158 
2,661 
87 


38 
86 






60 




Hillsdale 

Houghton 


218 




271 


Barry 


61 


Bay' 


Ingham 

Ionia 


279 


Benzie 


213 


Chippewa 

Cass 


Isabella 


15 






Calhoun 


Jackson 

Kalamazoo 

Keweenaw 

Kent 

Leelanaw 

Carried forw'd 


420 




327 




589 






Emniel 


18 




35,444 


4.911 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 



183 



Counties. 



Brt forw'd.. 

Lenawee 

Livingston .... 

Lapeer 

Monroe 

Montcalm 

Muskegon 

Mecosta 

Mason 

Manitou 

Manistee 

Mackinaw 

Midland 

Menominee .... 
Marquette and 

Scli'lcraft ... 



Enrollment, 
Dec 31, '64. 



Quota, call of 
Dec 19, '64 



5,444 


4,911 


4,787 


439 


1,619 


206 


1,300 


134 


1,613 


198 


527 


80 


407 


63 


102 


15 


49 


13 


28 


7 


122 


5 


87 


19 


149 


5 


69 


32 



182* 



Counties. 



Macomb — 

Newago 

Ottawa , 

Oceana , 

'Untonagon . 
jOakland .... 
iSt. Clair .... 
jSheboygan . 
jSt. Joseph . 

Saginaw 

Sanilac 

Shiawassee 

Tuscola 

Van Buren. 
Washtenaw 
Wayne 



Total 



Enrollment 
Dec 31, '64. 



2,018 

299 

1,436 

212 

476 

3,644 

1,895 

35 

2,209 

2,160 

573 

1,161 

552 

1,540 

3,687 

9,574 



77,999 



Quota, call of 
Dec 19, '64. 



57 

189 

31 

316 

471 

222 

4 

323 

130 

71 

63 

20 

205 

503 

871 



The end of operations in 1864 found the army of the Potomac in the 
trenches before Petersburg holding Lee as in a trap, Sherman's army in pos- 
session of Savannah, and Thomas successful in Tennessee. 

This memorable year was fraught with great results to the nation, effected 
by the unparalleled fighting of hosts of men, wading deep in human blood 
through carnage dense. 

The day and night advances of Grant's army on Richmond were to the 
Northern people movements producing intense anxiety, strong hope, fervent 
prayers for success, and sorrow and sadness for the patriots passing away. 

The desperate advance of Hood on Nashville had been most successfully 
met by General Thomas, his army completely defeated, routed, and driven 
in hot haste southward in a most demoralized condition. 

General Sherman had gallantly driven the enemy from beyond Chatta- 
nooga and onwards, had battered down his strong works at Atlanta, then 
bidding farewell to his friends, and placing both flanks of his noble army 
in air, swung off for the sea, leaving the nation in great ignorance and 
intense uneasiness as to his movements and safety, and is first heard from in 
the dispatch of General Howard, of his army, saying : " We have had per- 
fect success, and the army in fine spirits;" and then by General Sherman 
himself, sending to Abraham Lincoln a telegram covering the capture of 
Savannah as a Christnuis present. 

The State of Michigan commenced 1865 with that determination to 
crush out the rebellion which had characterized her soldiers and people so 
far during the war, as expressed through the Legislature in the following 
resolution, included among the joint resolutions on the state of the Union, 
approved JNIarch 21, 1865 : 

Resolved by the Senate and House of liepresentatires of the State of Michi- 
gan, That in the name, and in behalf of the people of the State of i\Iichi- 
gan, we hereby re-affirm the devotion of this Commonwealth to the Consti- 
tution and Government of the United States, and the earnest determination 
of its people to do everything in their power to support and sustain the 
National Administration, in all measures fi)r the vigorous prosecution of the 
existing war, the utter overthrow of armed rebellion, and the punislnnent 
of traitors, until a permanent peace shall be secured, based upon the sub- 



184 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

mission of the rebels, the supremacy of the Government, and the establish- 
ment of the Federal Union in all its integrity, one and inseparable, 
throughout the entire land. 

The troops from Michigan, while absent from their homes, honoring their 
State in the field in these important campaigns, were never forgotten by the 
Executive, nor by the people. Governor Blair, in his message delivered to 
the Legislature, January 4, 1865, greets them most affectionately from the 
Capitol of the State, on vacating the chair which he had so well filled, 
and highly honored Avith distinguished ability and efiiciency during the 
years of the war that had passed. Who, in the administration of his 
executive duties, had been so devoted to the best interests of his State, and 
so true and loyal to his country, so fair and clear in all his public acts, so 
untiring in the discharge of his arduous and perplexing duties, so emi- 
nently pure in his private life, and so thoughtful at all times of the soldier 
in the field, that his ofiicial career had been deservedly marked with great 
popularity among the troops, as well as with the entire people. The Gov- 
ernor alluded to them in the following iieautiful and kindly language : 

"Gentlemen: Again and for the last time, I commend the Michigan 
troops to your continued care and support. They have never failed in 
their duty to the country or to the State. Upon every great battle-field of 
the war their shouts have been heard and their sturdy blows have been 
delivered for the Union and victory. Their hard-earned fame is the 
treasure of every household in the State, and the red blood of their veins 
has been poured out in large measure to redeem the rebellious South from 
its great sin and curse. At this hour they stand under the flag of their 
country, far away from home, in every quarter where the enemy is to be 
met — along the banks of the father of waters, in the great city at its 
mouths, on the Arkansas, in the captured forts of the Gulf, by the waters 
of the Cumberland, the Tennessee, and of the Savannah, in the cliief city 
3f the Empire State of the South, among the conquering colunuis in the 
Valley of the Shenandoah, and in the trenches under the eye of the 
Lieutenant-General in the great leaguer of Petersburg and Richmond. 
Alas, that they are also perishing of cold and hunger, and disease, in the 
filthy rebel prisons anU pestilential camps of the South. In every situation 
their bravery has won the approval of their conunauders, and their heroic 
endurance of hardships has added lustre to their name. It is my sole 
regret at ([uittingoftice that I part with them. ^ly earnest efforts for their 
good shall fi)llow them while I live, and now from this place I bid them 
hail, and farewell !" 

During that session of the Legislature the following concurrent resolu- 
tions were passed : 

"Whereas the Hon. Austin Blair, whose valedictory message was delivered 
to this Lrgislature on tlie fifth of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-five, 
has retired to private life; 

And whereas the four years of his administration have been the most 
laborious, as well as the most perilous in the history both of the State and 
of the nation, with eleven of the most Southern States banded together in 
the most unjustifiable rebellion that the world has ever known ; 

And wlicreas Governor Blair's administrati(m has been mai'ked by emi- 
nent al)ility, rare integrity, and unsurpassed success, as shown by the enlist- 
ments and organization into companies, regiments, and batteries, in tiie most 
perfect military order, of over eighty thousand men, as brave, true, and 
patriotic as ever bared their breasts to any foe ; therefore 

Ee^olved, (the Senate concurring,) That the tlianks of the people of 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 185 

Michigan, through this Legislature, are hereby cordially tendered to ex- 
Goveruor Blair, for the able and satisfactory manner in Avhich he has, 
during his administration of the last four years, been able to conduct the 
affairs of the government of the State. 

Following Governor Blair, Henry H. Crapo took the executive chair, 
bringing to the service of the State and the nation strong and inherent pa- 
triotism, great ability, scrupulous honesty of purpose, and a most remark- 
able and pre-eminenl degree of })hysical and mental energy, with almost con- 
tinuous applicati(m, giving his administration great efficiency and much pop- 
ularity. The Governor, in his inaugural message delivered to the Ijcgisla- 
ture, referring to the jMichigan troops in the field, for whom he always en- 
tertained the most profound respect and the highest appreciation of their 
valuable services, says, with nmch eloquence and feeling, while alkuling to 
the great loss of life among them and of the cause in which they were then 
still engaged : 

" This is indeed a feai'ful sacrifice to be made even in the cause of liberty, 
justice, and humanity, and fearful is the penalty and terrible is the suffer- 
ing which the authors and leaders of treason and rebellion deserve and must 
endure as a just consequence of this enormous crime. These brave men — 
the JMichigan troops — are worthy of all praise. I commend them to your 
warmest sympathies, to your highest regards, to your active support. They 
have done heroic deeds on every battle-field ; they have won a name for 
undaunted courage in every conflict with a deadly and persistent foe ; they 
have endured hardships and privations w'ithout a murmur, and their loyalty 
and patriotism have never yet been tarnished. Those who have fallen upon 
the battle-field or on the march, or have died in hospitals — who nt)W sleep 
in death, martyrs to the cause of human freedom — our gratitude, our sym- 
pathies can never reach. But of those who sufler through loss of them, and 
of those brave veterans who yet survive, we should ever be mindful. A 
nation's gratitude should ever be theirs ; and justice, at least, should be 
their reward. * * * * 

" Although the rebellion, involving a civil war of unparalleled magni- 
tuile, which was inaugurated at the close of the administi-ation of James 
Buchanan by conspirators and traitors for the yverthrow of our Govern- 
ment, still aims its blows at the dismemberment of the Union, causing the 
devastation of portions of our fiiir land, depleting the National Treasury, 
and destroying many of our best, most loyal, and patriotic men, the efforts 
for its suppression continue to be prosecuted with undiminished vigor and 
with unfaltering purpose ; and the events of the past year have served but 
to increase our confidence in the permanency and power of our rejiublican 
institutions. The nation, it is true, has been sorely tried, yet it has exhib- 
ited strength and resources far beyond the most sanguine hopes of its friends ; 
while its enemies, both at home and abroad, have been compelled to confess 
their disap{)ointment." * * * * 

Nor were they forgotten by the Legislature of the State ; for on the 22d 
of February, LSGo, that body passed the following concurrent resolution: 

Resolved by the House of Representatives, (the Senate concurring,) That on 
this anniversary of the birthday of the Father of his Country the thanks of 
this Legislature, and through us of the people of the State, are hereby ten- 
dered to the soldiers of Michigan who promptly responded to the call of 
their country in its time of })eril ; and who by their fortitude and soldierly 
])earing under the privations and hardships of a S()ldier's life, " in camj) and 
field, through march and siege," and by their indomitable bravery and hero- 

L* 



186 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

ism on scores- of battle-fields, have won exalted honor to themselves and 
crowned with unfading glory the name and fame of Michigan. 

With the great increase of Government, State, and local bounties in 1864 
commenced the decrease of patriotism among the masses outside of the armies 
in the field, and which continued to lessen and lessen, and at the commence- 
ment of 1865 was not held out as any part of the inducements to enter the 
service, enlistments had become a matter of bargain and sale, dollars and 
cents entirely ruling the action. 

On January 1st, 1865, the 11th regiment of infantry was in process of 
recruitment, and the organization of the oOth, designed for duty on the 
Michigan frontier, was completed on the 9th and mustered into service with 
the maximum number, and at once assigned to duty along the Detroit and 
St. Clair rivers, with headquarters at Detroit. Little progress, however, had 
been made in filling up the 11th until February, when vigorous measures 
toward that end were adopted, and on the 4th of March four companies left 
camp at Jackson for Nashville, Tennessee. On the 18th of the same month 
the remaining six companies had completed their organization, and on that 
day also took the route to Nashville, in command of Col. P. H. Keegan, the 
muster-in rolls of the regiment showing a strength of 898 ofiicers and men. 

On February 4th, 1865, the Legislature authorized the payment of $150 
State bounty, which continued to be paid until the 14th of May following. 
Townships were empowered at the same time to pay a bounty of 6100, which 
was paid until recruiting ceased in the State. 

The successful operations of the United States armies having brought the 
war to a close by the utter overthrow of the rebel forces early in the spring 
of 1865, orders were at once issued to abandon all pending measures for the 
re-enforcement of the national arms, and recruiting, as well as operations 
under the di'aft, ceased on the 14th of April. Previous to that date and 
subsecpient to the 1st of November, 1864, there had been raised in this State 
9,382 recruits, of whom 7,547 voluntarily enlisted in the iirmy and 53 in 
the navy, and 1,782 were drafted, as will appear in the records: 

The following is a general summary of results, showing aggregate num- 
bers of the credits allowed to each county in the State from the beginning 
to the close of the war, J865 : Allegan, 2,175 ; Antrim, 28 ; Alpena, 58 ; 
Barry, 1,625; Benzie, 70; Bav, 511; Branch, 2,776; Berrien, 3,179; 
Cass, 1,832; Calhoun 3,878; Clinton, 1,606; Cliippcwa, 21; Delta, 24; 
Emmet, 39; EaUm, 1,741; Genesee, 2,518; Gratiot, 646; Grand Traverse, 
171; Hillsdale, 2,928; Houghton, 460; Huron, 342; Ingham, 2,097 ; Ionia, 
2,464; Isabella, 137; Iosco, 27; Jackson, 3,232; Keweenaw, 119 ; Kent, 
4,214; Kalamazoo, 3,221 ; Livingstcm, 1,887; Lenawee, 4,437 ; LeclanaAV, 
98; Lapeer, 1,776; Monroe, 2,270; Montcalm, 640; Macomb, 2,360; 
Menominee, 19 ; Marquette and Sclioolcraft, 265 ; Muskegon, 73(5 ; JMocosta, 
159; Mason 59; Manitou, 10; .Manistee, 88; Mackinac, 47; ]\Iid hind, 129; 
Newaygo, 412 ; Ontonagon, 254 ; Oakland, 3,718 ; Oceana, 223 ; Ottawa, 
1,547; Shiawassee, 1,753 ; Cheboygan, 31 ; St. Joseph, 2,836 ; Sanilac, 781; 
St. Clair, 2,581 ; Saginaw, 2,039 ; Tuscola, 664 ; Van Buren, 1,884 ; AVash- 
tenaw, 4,084; Wayne, 9,213 ; total, 89,173. 

The sum paid into the Treasury Department of the LTnited States by 
drafted citizens of Michigan as commutation money was $594,600.00. 

The product of soldiers and credits yicliK'd by the several counties is in 
its aggregate, as previously intimated, below the total number known to 
have been furnished by the State, and tlie difference is caused by the num- 
ber enlisting in the earlier regiments whose residence could not be ascer- 
tained. 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 187 

The reports of the Adjutant-Geueral's Department at the close of 1864 
showed that the actual number of men furnished by Michigan from the be- 
ginning of the war to November 1, 18G4, was 81,365 

Add the number of men commuting 1,982 

And the total credits to that time were 83,347 

The number of men credited by enlistment and draft from Novem- 
ber 1, 1864, to the close of the war was 9,382 

Making the total credits of the State, from April, 1861, to April, 
1865, the entire period of the war, as shown by the records of 
this office 92,729 

Deductincj from this airffrcffate the number of men commuting 1,982 



•oo- 



There is left a total of numbers actually furnished in men of ,. 90,747 

These figures do not include men enlisted in regiments of other States, 
and are believed to be substantially correct. There is a discrepancy, how^- 
ever, between them and the tables of the War Department, as will be seeu 
by the subjoined letter from the Provost Marshal-General : 

War Department, ") 

Provost Marshal-General's Office, y 
Washington, D. C, Sept. 2, 1865. ) 
His ExceUencxj II. H. Crapo, Governor of Michigan, Lan&ing : 

Sir: I have the honor to inform you that the number of men furnished 
))y the State of Michigan, from April 17, 1861, to April 30, 1865, is ninety 
thousand and forty-eight, (90,048,) without reference to periods of service, 
which varied from three months to three years. 
I have the honor to be, sir. 

Very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

JAMES B. FRY, 
Provost Marshal-General. 

The most popular and effective mode of raising men for the national armies 
throughout the war proved in ]\Iichigau to be the system of recruiting volun- 
teers. This system gave to the Union armies their main sup])ort. Drafting 
or conscripting in Michigan did not produce satisfactory results in any re- 
spect, while volunteering was popuhir and successful. 

The drafted man, without reason, looks at his })osition as stripping him 
of individuality and patriotism, and as making him a mere machine in the 
hands of the law. This is wrong and unreasonable in him. The nation 
recognizes no difference between the faithful services rendered the country 
by the drafted from that of the volunteer soldier, and there should be none; 
neither should there be any difference in his condition or standing in the 
army, and there really is iu)ne, except that created in the mind of the cou- 
scri])t himself. The faithful services rendered in defence of his country by 
the drafted man are equally acceptable and profitable to the nation and as 
creditable and praiseworthy to himself as those rendered by the volunteer. 
But it seems impossible to divest the mind of the conscript that in allowing 
himself to be drafted he has not robbed himself of his patriotism, and that 
he is considered, both at home and in the service, as an unwilling defender 
of his nation. 

Conscripts, as well as the people, should recognize the truth that every 



188 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

nation must possess the power under its laws to compel its citizens to fight 
in its defence and to protect and secure its national existence against all its 
enemies either at home or abroad ; and this power must be carried into ef- 
fect, when necessary, by draft or conscription, and if properly and fairly 
exercised under existing laws, should not be considered by them as an odious 
or unjust measure, but should be sustained and carried fully into effect 
when the necessities"of the country demand it; but such is not the case. 

The conscription, as a general thing, is evaded, when possible, by the 
loyal as well as by the disloyal to a certain extent, as every man coming 
within its reach seems to object to it. The rich man puts it at defiance un- 
der the law with his money, and the poor man evades it, when he can, with 
his infirmities. Communities, while truly loyal, will make voluntary sub- 
scriptions to raise money to supply commutation to secure their citizens 
against the operations of the draft, even if the exigencies of the service should 
be ever so urgent, and almost at the same time, with exemplary loyalty and 
patriotism, will in like manner make similar contributions to procure volun- 
teers to fill deficiencies caused by this action of theirs. The influence, en- 
ergy, and means of the people, and the arguments and admonition of the 
press, have been used to raise men to avoid it as if it were a pu])lic calamity 
to be dreaded and avoided if possible, and hence its unpopulai'ity. 

With the surrender of the rebel army, under General Lee, on the 9th of 
April, 1865, and the subsequent surrender of General Johnston's army, in 
the same month, the war which had been waged against the Union ended, 
and soon after the troops belonging to the various States began to leave the 
field. 

The Michigan troops being among the first to receive orders, the 20th 
regiment arrived in the State June 4, 1805, and others followed in succes- 
sion, down to June 10, 1866, when the 3d and 4th regiments of infantry 
reached the State, being the last belonging to the State to leave the fiohl. 

On tlie 14th of June, 1865, Governor Crapo issued the following procla- 
mation of thanks to the returning Michigan troops, which properly belongs 
to the military history of the State : 

" Michigan soldiers — officeks and men : In the hour of nationtd 
danger and peril, when the safety — when the very existence — of your 
country was imperilled, you left your firesides, your homes, and your fam- 
ilies, to defend the Government and the Union. But the danger is now 
averted, the struggle is ended, and victory — absolute and comjjlete victory — 
has perched upon your banners. You have conquered a glorious i)eace, 
and are tlicreby permitted to return to your liomes and to the pursuits of 
tranquil industry, to which I now welcome you ! And, not only for my- 
self, but for the people of the State, do I tender you a most cordial greet- 
ing. 

Citizen soldiers ! Recognized by the institutions of the land as freemen — 
as American citizens, that proudest of all political distinctions — and pos- 
sessing, in common with every citizen, the elective franchise, which confers 
the riglit to an exercise of the sovereign power, you had become so iden- 
tified and engrossed with the national enterprise and prosperity derived 
from the untrammeled privileges of republican freedom, that the enemies 
of those institutions, in their ignorance of the principles upon which they 
are founded, madly and foolishly believed that you were destitute of man- 
hood. They supposed you had become so debased l)y continued toil as to 
be devoid of every noble impulse. They imagined that you were cowards 
and cravens, and that by the thrcatenings alone of a despotic and tyrannical 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 189 

oligarchy you could not only be subdued, but robbed of your inheritance 
of freedom — of your birthright of liberty — those glorious and priceless lega- 
cies from your patriotic sires. Through the vilest treachery and the foulest 
robbery, these wicked and perjured men, whom their country had not only 
greatly benefitted and favored, but higlily honored, believed that by de- 
spoiling your country of its reputation, of its treasures, of its means of pro- 
tection and defence, they had ensured your degradation and defeat. 

Fatal mistake ! and terrible its consequences to those wicked and for- 
sworn men, as well as to their deluded and blinded votaries ! 

Soldiers : You have taught a lesson, not only to the enemies of your 
country, but to the world, which will never be forgotten. With ycnir brave 
comrades from every loyal State in this great and redeemed Union, you have 
met these vaunting and perjured traitors and rebels face to face, upon tlie 
field of battle, in tlie front of strongly fortified intrenchments, and before 
almost impregnable ramparts ; and by your skill and valor — your persis- 
tent efi'orts and untiring devotion to the sacred cause ()f freedom, of civili- 
zation, and of mankind — you have proved to those arch criminals and their 
sympathizers that it is not necessary for men to be serfs and slaves in order 
to be soldiers, but that in the hands of free and enlightened citizens, enjoy- 
ing the advantages and blessings conferred by fi-ee institutions, the temple 
of Liberty will ever 1)0 safe, and its escutcheon forever unsullied. 

Fellow-citizens of Michigan — patriotic citizen soldiers — although you re- 
turn to us bearing honorable marks of years of toil, of hardship, of priva- 
tion, and of suffering — many of you wilh bodies nmtdated, maimed, and 
scarred — mourning the loss of brave comrades ruthlessly slain on the field 
of battle, tortured to death by inches, or foully murdered in cold blood, not 
with tlie weapon of a soldier, l)ut by the lingering pangs of starvation and 
exposure — yet you will in the future enjoy the proud satisfaction of having 
aided in achieving for your country her second independence — in vindi- 
cating the national honor and dignity — in overthrowing that despotic and 
unholy power which has dared to raise its hideous head on this continent 
f(U' the jiurpose of trampling upon and destroying that inalienable right to 
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which is the birtliright of all — 
and finally, in placing the Union, establislied by the blood of our fathers, 
upon an imperishable f)undation. You will also possess the rich inheri- 
tance of meriting the continued plaudits, and of enjoying the constant 
gratitude of a free people, whose greatness you have preserved in its hour 
of most imminent peril. 

In the name of the people of INIichigan, I thank you for the honor you 
have done us by your valor, your soldierly l)earing, your invincible courage 
cverywh(>re displayed, whether upon the field of battle, in the perilous as- 
sault, or in the deadly breach ; for your patience under the fiitigues anc^ 
privations and sufferings incident to war, and for your discipline and ready 
oliedience to the orders of your superiors. We are proud in believing 
that when the history of this rebellion shall have been written, where 
all have done well, none will stand higher on the roll of fiime than the 
ofiicers and soldiers sent to the field from the loyal and patriotic State of 
INIichigan." 

Governor Crapo served as Executive of the State until January 1st, 1869, 
when he was succeeded by Henry P. Baldwin, of Detroit, a gentleman who, 
although occupying the position of a private citizen throughout the war, 
rendered valuable service in the cause of the Union, being i)rominent in the 
State among its strongest supporters, both in counsel and in pecuniary aid, 



190 



HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



ready when occasion offered to stand by liis country and uphold her glo- 
rious flag. 

Table slioxoing nativities of Michigan volunteers. 



New England States 


2,847 

31,137 

9,506 

4,517 

300 

166 

69 

73 

544 

145 

217 

956 

67,468 

8,886 




New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania... 
Ohio and Indiana 




Michigan 








Kentucky and Tennessee 




Free States west of Mississippi river 




Slave States west of Mississippi river 




Southern States not above enumerated 








Free States, colored...' 




Slave States, colored 




Total United States .' 




British America, exclusive of Canada. 

Canada 

Canada, colored 


. 169 
.8,276 
. 441 

■ 




Total American 




76,354 


Enfi^land 


3,761 

3,929 

763 

4,872 

380 

22 

381 

238 

47 










German V • . . 




France and French dominions 




Spain and Spanish America 












Miscellaneous, colored 










Total foreio"n 




14 393 








90,747 



Total white 88,941 

Total colored 1,661 

Total Indians 145 



90.747 



We subjoin a list showing the total number of officers and men who 
served in Michigan regiments and companies, respectively : 

1st engineers and mechanics, 3,081 ; 1st light artillerv, 3,333 ; 13th bat- 
tery, 255; 14th battery, 222; 1st cavalry, 3,244; 2d cavalrv, 2,425; 3d 
cavalry, 2,560 ; 4th cavalry, 2,085 ; 5th cavalry, 1,998— of this number 388 
were transferred to 1st cavalry; 6th cavalry, 1,624 — of this number 428 
were transferred to 1st cavalry; 7th cavalry, 1,779 — of this number 312 
were transferred to 1st cavalry ; 8th cavalry, 8,025 ; 9th cavalry, 2,057 — 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 191 

of tills number 52 were transferred to 11th battery; 10th cavalry, 2.050 ; 
11th cavalry, 1,579 — of this number 513 were transferred to 8th cavalry; 
Merrill Horse, 518 ; Lancers, 852; Chandler Horse Guards, 204; 1st in- 
fantry. (. 3 mouths,) 798; 1st infantry, 1,346; 2d infantry, 2,151; 3d in- 
fantry, 1,000 — of this numl)cr 371 were transferred to 5th infantry ; 3d 
infantry, (reorganized,) 1,109; 4th infantry, 1,325 — of this number 9() were 
transferred to 4th infantry; 4th infantry, (reorganized,) 1,300; 5th in- 
fantry, 1,950; ()th infantry^ 1,957; 7th infantry, 1,393 ; 8th infantry, 1,792; 
9th infantry, 2,272 ; lOth infantry, 1,788; Uth infantry, 1,329 ; *llth in- 
fantrv, (reorganized,) 1,140; 12th infantry, 2,335; 13th infantry, 2,084 ; 
Uth mflxntry, 1,806; 15th infmtry, 2,371 ; 16th infantry, 2,318 ;" 17th in- 
fantry, 1,079 — of this number 135 were transferred to 2d infantry ; 18th 
infantry, 1,374 — of this number 97 were transferred to 9th infantry; 19th 
infantry, 1,238 — of this number 108 were transferred to 10th infantry; 
20th infantry, 1,157 — of this number 37 were transferred to 2d infantry; 
21st infantry, 1,477 — of this number 144 were transferred to 14th infantry , 
22d infantry, 1,586 — of this number 222 were transferred to 29th infantry ; 
23d infantry, 1,417 — of this number 143 were transferred to 28th infantry, 
and 12 to 29tli infiintry ; 24th infantry, 2,054 ; 25th iuflintry, 988— of this 
number 51 were transferred to 28th infantry ; 26th infantry, "1,210 ; 27th 
infantry, 2,029; 28th infantry, 1,245; 29di infantry, 1,470; 30th infantry, 
975; 1st sharpshooters, 1,36*4; 1st colored infantry, (102 U. S. C. T,) 
1,446 ; 1st U. S. sharpshooters, 415 — of this number 71 were transferred 
to 5th infantry; 2d U. S. sharpshooters, 163— of this nuinber 48 were 
transferred to 5th infantry. 

The number of men from Michigan who served in organizations of other 
States and in the regular army, so far as reported, will be found quite in- 
considerable, when compared with the aggregate of troops, and is as follows: 

Stanton Guard, 103; Provost Guard 130; 23d Illinois, Company A, 
281; 33d Illinois, Company B, 2; 37th Illinois, Company D, '63;"42d 
Illinois, 214; 44th Illinois, 192; 66th Illinois, Co. D, 180; 29th Indiana, 
1 ; r27th Indiana, 1 ; 20th Indiana battery, 1 ; 1st Iowa cavalry 1 ; 7th 
Iowa infantry 1 ; 9th Iowa infantry, 1 ; 9tli Kansas cavalry, 1 ; 1st Mis- 
souri engineers, 13 ; 1st Missouri light artillery, 1 ; 1st New York cavalry, 
98; 70th New York infantry, Co. C, 129 ; 47th Ohio infantry, 32; 10th 
Pennsylvania infantry, 1 ; 11th Pennsylvania cavalry, 1 ; 4th Tennessee 
cavalry 2; 12th Tennessee cavalry, 3 ; 13th Wisconsin infantry, 1 ; 19th 
Wisconsin infantry, 1; Mississippi mounted rifles, (colored,) 4; Powell's 
colored infantry, 4 ; Mississippi Marine Brigade, 1 ; band 3d division, 9th 
army corps, 12; band, 4th division, 13th army corps, 17 ; baud, cavalry 
corps, 8; veteran volunteer engineers, 10; veteran reserve corps, 389; 
Hancock's 1st A. C, 153; U. S. Navy, 430; 2d U. S. infantry, 104; llth 
U. S. inlantrv, 242 ; 12th U. S. infantrv, 1 ; 15th U. S. infantry, 2 ; 16th 
U. S. infantry, 20 ; 19th U. S. inf\intr/, 884 ; General Service U. S. 186 ; 
5th U. S. colored artillery, 14; 9th U. S. colored artillery, 3 ; 13th U. S. 
colored artillery, 21 ; 3d U. S. colored cavalry, 16 ; 12th IT. S. colored in- 
fantry, 1 ; 31st U.S. colored infantry, 1 ; 38th U. S. colored infantry. 10; 
49th U. S. colored infantry, 1 ; 53d U. S. colored infimtry, 1 ; 54th U. S. 
colored infantry, 1 ; 55th U. S. colored infantry, 1 ; 61st U. S. colored in- 
fantry, 2. 

When it is remembered that the population of Michigan in 1864 wag 
805,379, and that 90,747 able-bodied men took up arras in defence of the 
Union, the State may well be proud of its record on the score of sincere 
patriotism. 



192 



HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



The following table shows the casualties by wounds and disease in M\q] 
igan organizations during the war : 



Engineers «& Mech'cs 

1st Light Artillery, 

13th Battery, 

14th do. 

1st Cavalry, 

2d 

3d " 

4th " 

5th " 

6th " 

■Zth " 

8th " 

9th " 

10th " 

nth " 

Merrill Horse, 

1st Infantry, 3 mos. 

1st Infantry, 



" reorganiz'd 
" reorganiz'd 



3d 

3d 

4th 

4th 

5th 

6th " 

7th " 

8th " 

9th " 

10th " 

11th Infantry, 

11th " reorganiz'd 



Enlisted 
men. 


Commiss'ed 
officers. 


a n 
'^ a 

a » 

5S 


1 

a 
1 


II 

a ^ 


1 


8 


245 






39 


313 


4 


3 




4 

9 

195 




1 


145 


13 


6 


64 


270 


2 


1 


26 


314 


3 


4 


39 


296 


3 


1 


118 


172 


6 


3 


113 


228 


7 


2 


66 


265 


4 


1 1 


24 


287 




2 


30 


134 


1 


2 


28 


224 


2 


- 1 


22 


105 


. 4 




10 


58 






4 


4 


3 





142 


92 


15 


1 


192 


128 


11 


3 


137 


78 


4 


1 




113 




1 


168 


105 


12 


1 




190 






220 


151 


10 


2 


63 


451 


2 


5 


170 


150 


11 


4 


191 


192 


11 


4 


17 


247 


2 


4 


80 


199 


7 


3 


88 


185 


5 






89 




ii 



12th Infantry, 

13th " 

14th " 

15th " 

16th " 

17th " 

18th " 

19th " 

20th " 

21st " 

22d " 

23d " 

24th " 

25th " 

26th " 

27th " 

28th " 

29th " 

30th " 

1st Sharpshooters, 

1st Mich. (102 U. S) 

Col. Infantry, 
1st U. S. Sharpsh'rs 
2d U. S. 
Provost Guard, 
Co. A 23d 111. Vol. 
Co. D 66lh 111. Vol. 
Co. C 70th N. Y. 



Enlisted 


Comra 


men. 


office 


II 

a » 

i = 


1 


ii 


49 


372 


1 


74 


266 


4 


50 


173 


1 


72 


129 


3 


213 


135 


12 


125 


146 


6 


14 


295 




91 


135 


7 


106 


165 


18 


75 


271 


3 


79 


282 


2 


58 


218 


3 


158 


114 


12 


35 


123 


1 


105 


145 


3 


211 


179 


10 


4 


118 


1 


3 


62 

17 

128 


1 


114 


6 


9 


122 


2 


34 


28 


3 


12 


19 


1 


3 


1 




13 


16 




17 


7 


1 


3926 


9133 


249 



;l — 



97 



Commissioned officers died in action or of wounds, 
" " died of disease, 

Enlisted men died in action or of wounds, 
" " died of disease, 



249 

97 



3926 
9133 



346 



-13059 
13405 



It has been found impracticable to obtain a statement of the casualties 
occurring in all the Michigan companies and among the men serving dur- 
ing the Avar with troops of other States, hence they are not included in the 
above table. 



RAISING OF TROOPS. 



193 



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194 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



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FINANCIAL STATISTICS. 195 

FINANCIAL STATISTICS. 

Thus far has been given a brief narrative of the most momentous period 
in our State history, embracing the home work of Micliigan in the war, and, 
although it shouhl be considered small and insignificant when compared 
with the extent and value of the work accomplished by her trooi">s in the 
field, and the sacrifice of life there made by them, it was still one of stu- 
pendous proportions. Aside from the incessant labor of the people in 
raising troops, there was much perplexing anxiety, many petty annoyances, 
great self-sacrifice, and much personal suffering, together with enormous 
expenditures of money by the State, counties, and townships, and also ])y 
individuals — all combined, rendering the burdens and cares of the people 
at times so heavy as to be almost unbearably. Yet the astonishing state- 
ments revealed below, covering over sixteen millions of dollars, expended 
by the people of JNIichigan for war purposes, although couched in silent 
figures, speak eloquently and earnestly of great sacrifice and unbounded 
patriotism. 

During the war the State Legislature passed laws authorizing the pay- 
ment of State bounties to soldiers, as follows : 

Men enlisting from March 6, 1863, to November 10, 1863, (both inclu- 
sive,) in any j\lichigan regiment, company, or battery, except the 10th and 
11th cavalry, 13th and 14th batteries, and 1st colored infantry, entitled to 
$50 State bounty. Men re-enlisting in their own regiments, (after service of 
two years,) from Novmber 11, 1868, to February 4, 1864, (both inclusive,) 
entitled to $50 State bounty. Men enlisting or re-enlisting from February 
5, 1864, to May 14, 1864, (both inclusive,) in any regiment, company, or 
battery, if applied on 200,000 call, and properly credited to the sub-district 
in which they resided at time of enlistment, entitled to $100 State bounty. 
Men enlisting from February 4, 1865, to April 14, 1865, (both inclusive,) 
properly credited to sub-districts, entitled to $150 State bounty. 

In accordance with these laws, the Quartermaster-General of the State paid 
in 1863, $134,250; 1864,867,959; 1865, $383,076; 1866, $438,500 ; 1867, 
$11,700; 1868, $18,623 ; 1869, $28,850; 1870, $26,400, up to and including 
31st July; amounting in the aggregate to $1,909,408, leaving still a con- 
siderable amount unapplied for. 

He also disbursed $60,000 as premiums for the procuration of recruits. 

Aside from these amounts, this department expended for war purposes 
$815,000 — making the aggregate disbursements up to July 31, 1870, 
$2,784,408. 

The amounts paid by each county, respectively, during the war for bounty 
to volunteers prior to December 19, 1863, and liabilities ; also, liabilities 
incurred under the law of 1865, and also liabilities for other objects: 

Allegan, ; Alpena, $3,080; Antrim, $1,200; Berrien, $135,400; 

Branch, $76,859.91; Barrv, $11,400; Bay, $40,913; Calhoun, $-49,468; 

Clinton, $3,768 : Cass, $39,909 ; Chippewa, ; Chebovgan, 84,524 ; Delta, 

$5,326; Eat(m, $33,881.85; Emmett, $500; Genesee, $115,820.12; Gratiot, 
$1,800; Grand Traverse, $350 ; Hillsdale, $55,919 ; Houghton, ; Hu- 
ron, ; Ionia, $41,718 ; Ingham, $58,383.69 ; Isabella, $6,300 ; Iosco, 

$1,089.60; Jackson, ; Kent, $113,900; Kalamazoo, $400; Keweenaw, 

; Livingston, ; Lapeer, $51,863.87 ; Lewanee, $89,485.30 ; Leele- 

naw, $330 ; Midland, $26,458.65 ; ^lontcalm, $5,550 ; Muskegon, $29,950 ; 
Macomb, $51,763.75; Menominee, $5,057.85; Mecosta, $3,662.50; Monroe, 

; Manistee, $2,700 ; Mackinaw, ; Mason, $2,535.97 ; Marquette, 

$13,779.34; Newaygo, $13,727.72; Ottawa, $101,350; Oakland, $237,533; 



196 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Oceana, $6,084; St. Clair, $36,350; St. Joseph, $21,700; Saginaw, 849,572; 

Shiawassee, $4,000; SaniLic, $55,500; Schoolcraft, ; Tuscola, $600; 

Van Buren, $14,675.29 ; Wayne, $369,428.88 ; Washtenaw, . Total, 

$2,015,588.09. 

The following are the aggregate expenditures and liabilities of the various 
townships, cities and wards of the counties in the State for war purposes, 
made up irora statements of the proper officers, rendered in 1866 : 

Allegan, $188,898.49; Alpena, $9,781.98; Antrim, $4,638; Berrien, 
$257,416.97; Branch, $230,086.65 ; Barry, $180,641; Bay, $61,267 ; Cal- 
houn, $354,432.32; Clinton, $135,936; Cass, $196,239.86 ; Chippewa, ; 

Cheboygan, $1,525; Delta, $1,200; Eaton, $175,363.58; Emmett, $50; 
Genesee, $150,488.75; Gratiot, $23,527; Grand Traverse, $12,!)90.54; 
Hillsdale, $282,449.21; Houghton, $39,152.71; Huron, $17,230; Ionia, 
$182,888 ; Ingham, $203,985 ; Isabella, $5,775 ; Iosco, $4,900 ; Jackson, 
$439,325.10; Kent, $167,550.50; Kalamazoo, $383,416.61; Keweenaw, 
$1,000; Livingston, $144,379.22; Lapeer, $129,674.89; Lenawee, $544,- 
557.75; Leelenaw, $4,845.52; Midland, $12,598; Montcalm, $44,861.20 ; 
Muskegon, $43,604; Macomb, $289,029.69; Mecosta, $3,340; Monroe, 

$135,180.69; Manistee, $15,476; Manitou, ; Mackinaw, $6,727.50; 

Mason, $807; Marquette and Schoolcraft, $3,000; Newaygo, $12,004; 
Ottawa, $148,523 ; Oakland, $586,556.98 ; Oceana, $14,692.93 ; St. Clair, 
$233,291.90; St. Joseph, $557,958; Saginaw, $158,099.59; Shiawasse, 
$167,203; Sanilac, $95,794.29; Tuscola, $67,631.96; Van Buren, 8115,- 
637.90; Wayne, $660,554.88; Washtenaw, $458,563.54; total, $8,157,748.70. 

Statement showing amount expended by each county of the State, from 
1861 to 1867, for the relief of soldiers' families under the provisions of the 
Soldiers' Relief Law, approved May 10, 1861 : 

Alpena, $8.80; Allegan, $80,985.72 ; Antrim, $666.11 ; Bav, $21,991.54; 
Barrv, $86,598.15; Berrien, $131,924.45; Branch, $69,12L20; Calhoun, 
$200493.66 ; Cass, $80,883.46 ; Clinton, $67,443.75 ; Cheboygan, $368.92 ; 

Chippewa, $1,032; Delta, ; Eaton, $02,103.69; Emmett, $1,948.40; 

Genesee, $89,087.12; Gratiot, $8,875; Grand Traverse, 810,636.81 ; Hillsdale, 
$90,155.96; Houghton, $8,419 ; Huron, $23,033.50 ; Ingham, $110,547.09; 
Isabella, $4,680.45 ; Lmia, $31,500; Iosco, $1,000; Jackson, $129,401.25; 
Kalamazoo, $119,984.79; Kent, $76,311; Keweenaw, $3,620; Lapeer, 
$75,000 ; Livingston, $34,500 ; Lenawee, $145,226.20 ; Leelenaw, $6,487.89; 

Macomb, $110,339.26; Mecosta, $9,280.09; Mackinaw, ; Midland, 

$6,550; Manitou, ; Mason, $3,200; JManistee, $9,620; INIuskegon, 

$20,000; Marquette, $7,989.16; Menominee, $390; Monroe, $143,762; Mont- 
calm, $40,000; Newaygo, 814,516.72; Ottawa, $56,616.08; Oceana, $18,368; 
Ont(magon, $4,747.02 i Oakland, $127,993.38; Sanilac, $73,111.33; Shia- 
wasse, $50,645; Saginaw, $81,000; St. Clair, $89,427.99 ; St. Joseph, $96,214; 
Tuscola, $51,987.22; Van Buren, $99,511.81; Washtenaw, $155,043.15; 
and Wayne, $547,200. Total, $3,591,248.12. 

At the session of 1867 the liCgislature most humanely and opportunely 
appropriated twenty thousand dollars to maintain for two years a temporary 
"Soldiers' Home" at the Har[)cr Hospital in Detroit. At the session of 
1869 an additional sum was appropriated f(»r its support for two years more. 
This home was established for the maintenance of infirm, maimod, and des- 
titute Michigan soldiers and sailors of the late war. Its management to be 
under the direction of the State Military Board, at present consisting of 
Col. D. H. Jerome, of Saginaw, President; Col. Jerome Croul, of Detroit; 
Col. Alvin T. Crossnuin, of Flint ; Col. Henry L. Hall, of Hill.sdalc ; and 
CoL S. M. Cutcheon, of Ypsilanti. 



SANITARY OPERATIONS. 197 

The management of the "Home" has been judicious and liberal, afford- 
ing to the disabled soldier the fullest benefit contemplated under the law, 
proving of great service to many who have found it necessary to seek its 
shelter and care. And while it has been liberally conducted, care has been 
exercised in guarding the State against unnecessary expense and the impo- 
sition of the undeserving. 

Except for a very short time in the early part of the rebellion, when Cant. 
E. G. Owen was U. S. Quartermaster at Detroit, Colonel George W. Lee^a 
well-known and prominent citizen of ^lichigan, served as Chief United 
States Quartermaster of the State throughout the war, filling a most import- 
ant and very responsible position with eminent energy and efficiency and 
at the same time with most persistent and scrupulous fidelity to the General 
Government. 

In connection with the discharge of his duties. Colonel Lee disbursed in 
Michigan for the General Government 87,144,812, as follows ; 33,050 horses, 
§3,607,252; transportation of troops and supplies, 81,303,812; forage, 
8331,01)7; equipping troops, erection of barracks and hospitals, apprehen- 
sion of deserters, and other incidental expenses, 81,782,051. 

In addition to this large disbursement by the Quartermaster Department, 
there was a very great expenditure made in the State by the United States 
mustering and disbursing officer for the subsistence and supplies of troops, 
but it has been found impossible to reach information as to the exact amount 
or even to form an approximate estimate. 

SANITARY OPERATIONS. 

The great beneficent effort of the American masses in the war, the sani- 
tary measure, was very early adopted by Michigan people. The " Michi- 
gan Soldiers' Relief Association," of Washington, D. C, is claimed to have 
been the first of the kind put into the field on the Atlantic slope, and the 
last to leave it. It was organized in Washington in the autumn of 1861, 
continued in successful operation until September 19, 1866, and was a source 
of infinite good to Michigan soldiers, scattering among them friendship, 
brotherly care, and many comforts and necessaries of life when most needed. 
The association was composed of the few ]\Iichigan citizens then in and 
around Wasliington, including the delegation in Congress. The Hon. James 
M. Edmunds was president, Dr. H. J. Alvord secretary, who was succeeded 
by C. Clark, and Z. Moses treasurer, all of whom served gratuitously, and 
with a devotion, energy, and efficiency unsurpassed. 

The means to sustain the measure at first were assessed ui)on the mem- 
bers of the association, but after a short time were derived from contribu- 
tions made by the people of the State, and amounted to 824,909.24, in the 
aggregate. 

in connection with the enterprise was established at City Point, imme- 
diately following Grant's great battles, the famous " Michigan Soup House," 
so well known throughout the army, which afforded so much relief to the 
suffering soldier. 

Judge Edmunds, in his report, kindly mentions the faithful and patriotic 
ladies connected with the association during its several years of great use- 
fuhiess, whose generous and noble natures led them to render such services 
in the field for Michigan men as have made their names household words 
at almost every hearthstone in the State, and never to be forgotten by thou- 
sands upon thousands of brave men who were recipients of their kindness 
and motherly care. 



198 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

The record of Michigan in the great sanitary movement would be incom^ 
plete without the following extract from the final report of Judge Edmunds, 
president of the association : 

" The Michigan Soldiers' Eelief Association of the District of Columbia 
was organized in the autumn of 1861. It was the product of necessity, and 
was composed of the few INIichigan men then resident at the National Cap- 
ital. Soon after the first arrival of troops under the call for 75,000 volun- 
tters, the first Michigan regiment (three months' men) appeared here. It 
contained many who were personally known to the citizens of INIichigan 
then residents of Washiugton, and this, with the noble cause in Avhich they 
were eulisted, soon aroused a deep feeling of friendship between the mem- 
bers of the regiment and all those hailing from the same State. This friend- 
ship was manifested by various and numerous acts of kindness and appre- 
ciation. Among them, special solicitude for all in the service whose failing 
health made demands upon this feeling for those attentions which Avere 
impossible in the then inexperienced and unprepared state of the hospital 
service. 

" For the first few months the efibrts made to relieve and comfort those 
of our friends in the service were unorganized, and though throAving great 
labor upon the few engaged, hardly kept pace with the growing demands 
incideut to the rapid increase of the army. The battle of Bull Run, in 
which our friends suffered severely, aroused afresh the sympathy of all 
whose hearts beat honestly for the country, and demonstrated the utter in- 
adequacy of the Government preparation for any such sudden emergency. 
It seemed impossible for the public authorities at this time to appreciate 
the necessity of ample preparations for the wounded and sick. Their atten- 
tions seemed constantly directed to the increase of the army by new enlist- 
ments. The importance of providing for its health Avas but sloAvIy admitted, 
and hardly admitted at all until it became evident that the ranks could 
only be kept up by such pi-ovisions. To reach this point and this degree 
of preparation, required the experience of an entire campaign. The conse- 
quence was, that there Avas all the time an urgent call, Ave might almost say 
an imperative demand, for volunteer aid. Such aid Avas cordially given, 
but yet fell short of Avhat Avas absolutely essential. It became apparent 
that Ave could no longer meet the demand upon us by individual and unor- 
ganized efffirt. "We must haA'^e system, and assignment of duties. We must 
have contributions far beyond the means of the small number of IMichigan 
citizens then here. These urgent demands so pressed upon us, that the citi- 
zens of Michigan then in the District assembled for consultation, and the 
result was the organization of the IMichigan Soldiers' Relief Association, 
then composed of a set of officers and an executive committee. It claimed 
as its members all citizens of the State, residents of the District, and the 
]\Iichigan delegation in Congress. The association commenced by levying 
a tax upon its members, Avhich Avas frequently repeated during the first few 
months of its existence, and has been resorted to for emergencies from that 
time to the present. 

" This organization Avas the first of the kind in the field upon the Atlantic 
slope, and the last to leave it. Its history, so far as it has not been Avritten, 
will be briefly alluded to in the folloAving pages. 

"The association having been thus organized, it AA'as called into full ac- 
tivity in May, l(Sf)2, after the Army of the IVtomac had made a commence- 
ment of its peninsula campaign. 

"The battle of Williamsburg, in Avhich several of our regiments j)artici- 
patcd, filled the hospitals of Baltimore and Fortress Monroe with Avouuded 



SANITARY OPERATIONS. 199 

men ; and from this time forward to the close of the war, the whole energies 
of the association have been taxed to their utmost limits. 

" By referring to the reports of our operations for 1862, '63, and '64, it 
will be seen that our means were limited ; but as the services of the indi- 
vidual members of the association have in all cases been gratuitous, and 
always cheerfully rendered, the money we had was used in such a way as 
secured the greatest amount of relief 

" In the year 1862, the first in fact of our activity, the whole amount of 

money received from all sources was 82,166 13 

r:xpended 1,945 84 

In 1863 2,350 39 

Expended 2,037 61 

In 1864 6,779 71 

Expended 5,488 48 

"This is, of course, exclusive of specific contributions of clothing and hos- 
})ital stores always liberally furnished by the soldiers' aid societies through 
the State, and which we endeavored to apply faithfully to the j)urposes 
intended. 

" In the summer and fall of 1862, after the dreadful closing battles of the 
peninsula and the disastrous campaign of General Pope, the whole city of 
Washington became a vast hospital. 

" The public buildings, the churches, and many private residences were 
made receptacle^s of wounded and sick soldiers. 

"Scattered all through these our own 'brave men lay and languished, and 
many died. But we are assured that the kind offices of the members of this 
association assuaged their pains and carried relief to all within their reach : 
and doubtless many owe their recovery to those special attentions impossi- 
ble to be secured from the assistants detailed for the care of sick and wound- 
ed men in hospital. During the fall of 1862 something like system was 
inaugurated by the IMedical Department of the Government commensurate 
with the magnitude of the exigency. Columbia College was made a per- 
manent hospital. Carver, Finley, Mount Pleasant, Emery, and subsequently 
Douglas, Stanton, Campbell, Ilarewood, and Lincoln, Avcre provided with 
ample accommodations for twenty thousand patients; and in 1863, with the 
hospitals in Alexandria, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Annapolis, 
Frederick, and other places North, the whole operations of the Medical De- 
partment assumed something like order, efficiency, and permanency, and it 
became necessary for us to employ agents who could give their whole time 
to the work. 

" INIrs. Brainard was early engaged, and perhaps the first among our regu- 
lar workers — she certainly was the last to leave. Her services were invalu- 
able, and have never been fully appreciated and acknowledged. The ser- 
vices of INIiss Wheclock, IMiss Bateman, ]\Irs. ^Mahan, Mrs. Gridley, Mrs. 
Plum, ]\rrs. Johnson, Mrs. Hall, the iMisses Bull, and others, who have 
labored in the field and hospitals under the auspices of this association, have 
all richly earned the thanks of the peoi)le of Michigan, and especially of the 
thousands of soldiers who received their kind ministrations. Their reports 
are necessarily excluded for want of space. In the summer of 18(i3 the 
battles around Fredericksburg, and those of the campaign of Gen. Meade's 
army in ^Maryland and Pennsylvania, and the crowning carnage at Gettys- 
burg absorbed our entire energies. 

"Our agents were early at their work, and remained as long as there was 
suffering to be relieved. 

"In 1864 the bloody struggles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvauia, and 



200 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

the daily conflicts during those forty days of Grant's persistent advance to 
Richmond, again filled the hospitals around Washington, and gave ample 
employment to our agents and the members of the association, 'ind drew 
upon our means so that we were well nigh exhausted. 

" It is due to ourselves to acknowledge the generous co-operation of the 
Christian and Sanitary Commissions during this summer. To the former 
we have ever been indebted for the most generous consideration and liber- 
ality ; and to the latter for extraordinary kindness in furnishing our agents, 
Mrs. Braiuard and Mrs, ]\Iahan, with valuable and much-needed supplies, 
to the amount of more than two thousand dollars in three months, and at a 
time when our own were exhausted. 

" On the 1st of January, 1865, the report of the treasurer shows SI, 291.30 
available funds on hand. This amount was soon after increased by the 
most liberal contributions from several associations and individuals in Mich- 
igan, and especially from the noble-hearted people of the Lake Superior 
region, till our whole receipts fcr the year 1865, including the sum on hand, 
amounted to 814,914.24. 

" With the prospect of a campaign of unexampled activity on the south side 
of Richmond by the combined armies of Generals Grant and Butler, and 
the reasonable anticipation of a stout and protracted resistance on the part 
of the rebels, we early made preparations for meeting promptly the demands 
that would most likely be made upon our association. We established a 
magazine of supplies at City Point, and sent thither an effective force to 
receive and provide for such as should, in the coming struggle, be sent back 
disabled. We also established in Washington a ' Home,' where our men 
in passing could find shelter for a night without being thrown into the bad 
associations of the city. 

"It had long been felt that such an asylum was needed, and we had been 
prevented from establishing one chiefly from scarcity of means. This ob- 
jection no longer existed, and the association rented and furnished a house, 
with comfortable and cheap furniture, engaged a competent matron, and 
from April 1st to SeiJtciuhcr 1st, 1(SG5, were able to provide for the wounded 
and sick a comfortal)le rer^tiiig i)lace. The whole expenditure in this enter- 
prise, as shown by the treasurer's report, was $2,675.38, diminished by the 
sum of S507.30 received for furniture, &c., on breaking up the house — 
making the whole expense §2,168.08. 

" The sudden and unexpected collapse of the rebellion, and the recall of 
the Array of the Potomac, and the arrival of Sherman's grand columns in 
Wasliington, worn and fatigued l)y the longest and most remarkable march 
yet rec(jrded, imposed new work upon us. 

"Our returned regiments were visited by our agents, and supplied with 
much-needed vegetables, j)ickles, tobacco, bread, &e., to the amount of 
S4,000. Our i'orcG was withdrawn from City Point, and furnished ample 
employment here till the armies were disbanded and sent home. 

"At tlie 'Home,' during the month vl June, all were received who came. 
Colonel Pritchard's detail for Jeff. Davis' body guard was lodged and feasted. 
The records, imperfect thougli they are, have the names of about 8,000 who 
took one or more meals under the roof and at the tables of the ' Home,' 
faithfully and ably conducted by the jSIatron, ]\Irs. Van Boskerck, whose 
executive ability, industry, and fidelity cannot be too highly commended. 

"The accounts of the 'Home' show that as many as 725 meals were 
served in. a day, and the bread consumed averaged from 300 to 425 loaves 
a day for many days. Above all the labor and care bestowed upon this 
house, the matron had especial care of ten or fifteen patients at Douglas 



SANITARY OPERATIONS. 201 

and Stanton hospitals, near the house, for two months, visiting them daily, 
and furnishing them witii delicacies. 

"The Executive Committee desire here to acknowledge their obligation to 
all the agents who have been employed, for devotion to their duties, and to 
all members of the association for cheerful co-oper:i tion in the work in 
which we have been engaged during the bloody strugL;le now passed. 

"All the services rendered by the association have been entirely gratu- 
itous, and the agents have labored for little more than actual expenses. 
The motives of all, it is believed, were patriotic and humane ; and the only 
reward sought or desired was the consciousness of having discharged well 
the duties imposed by the exigency. We have at lea.st endeavored well. 

" To the individuals and associations at home who have so nobly su])ported 
us with contributions of money and material, and surely not least, with 
their encouraging words of commendation and coun.-el, we desire to say, 
that your noble efforts in behalf of the brave and self-sacrificing young 
men who have given their services, suffered toils, hunger, and thirst, en- 
countered dangers and disease, and death, for the perpetuation of the Gov- 
ernment, in defence of liberty, and in the cause of humanity, have no 
parallel in the annals of the world. 

" If there can be any compensations in such a war as we have just emerged 
from, the chief must besought in the grand outpouring of generous human- 
ities all over the entire loyal portion of the country, in endeavoring to 
ameliorate the condition of the soldier, and assuage his sufferings. 

" Happily, the war is ended. The grand armies that fought its battles 
have returned to their families and to peaceful pursuits. Too many, alas, 
have found their last resting-place far from kindred and from home. They 
found bloody graves in a hostile land. Their memories live in the hearte 
of a grateful people, saved by their devotion and valor. 

"All honor to the dead hero ; his wife and children demand our care, 
and must not be forgotten or neglected." 

In September, 1866, the association discontinued its operations, and 
among its last acts of kind consideration of the soldier, transmitted to the 
trustees of Harper Hospital, at Detroit, 81,000, to be by them used in the 
care and maintenance of such disabled Michigan soldiers as should from 
time to time become its inmates. 

In addition to the Washington Association, the people in the State took 
hold of the matter and were busy in the noble work. In April, 1862, the 
"Michigan Soldiers' Relief Association" was formed, with Hf)n. John Owen 
as president, Benjamin Vernon, Esq., secretary, and William A. Butler, 
Es(|., treasurer. It continued in successful operation during the entire war, 
doing much good, collecting from various localities in the State a large 
amount of useful and necessary supplies and sending them to the front; a 
portion of the packages forwarded were 331 boxes, 203 barrels, containing 
almost every conceivable comfort for the use of the soldier, sick or well, 
viz : Shirts, drawers, socks, handkerchiefs, canned and dried fruits, wines, 
jellies, pickles of all kinds, spices, books, papers, pins, needles, thread, sheets, 
quilts, pillow-cases, bed sacks, bandages, pads, lint, in fact everything useful 
and that were thought necessary. 

It also received and expended in 1864 S3,600, which was made use of as 
stated in ^Ir. Vernon's report in furnishing relief to sick and destitute sol- 
diers in sums of from one to ten dollars as their necessities required ; in 
sending agents to different points to look after the wants of soldiers ; in pro- 
viding refreshments and meals for returned veterans ; in paying rent for 
"Soldiers' Home" in Detroit, and in burying the dead. 

M * 



202 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Another most active and useful association, accomplishing much good 
throughout the war was the " INIichigan Soldier's Aid Society," a branch of 
the " United States Sanitary Commission." It was organized November 6, 
1861, and kept its office open until January 1st, 1866, and after that date 
continued to supply destitute soldiers and soldiers' families, and intended to 
do so until the fund on hand was expended. 

The first officers of the society were : Dr. Z. Pitcher, counsellor ; ]\Irs. 
Geo. Dufficld, president ; INIrs. Theodore Romeyn, vice president ; Mrs. D. 
P. Bushnell, treasurer ; INIiss Sarah T. Bingham, recording secretary ; Miss 
Valeria Campbell, corresponding secretary. 

At the close of 1864 the society was reorganized, and the following officers 
selected : 

John Owen, president, associate member U. S. S. Commission ; Benjamin 
Veruor, James V. Campbell, B. E. Demill, vice presidents, associate mem- 
bers U. S. S. Commission ; Mrs. S. A. Sibley, i)rcsident ; ISIrs. II. L. Chip- 
man, Mrs. A. Adams, vice presidents ; William A. Butler, treasurer ; Mrs. 
George Andrews, assistant treasurer ; Mrs. W. A. Butler, auditor ; Miss 
Lizzie Woodhams, recording secretary ; Miss Valeria Campbell, correspond- 
ing secretary. 

The association received from various sources throughout the State and 
sent forward from November 1, 1861, to June, 1863, 3,593 packages; dis- 
tributed at home during the same time, 2,724 packages ; total, 6,317. Most 
of these were large packages, and consisted chiefly of articles contributed in 
kind, of what value has not been estimated. 

Cash expended from November 6,1861, to June 1,1866,619,633.18; 
from June 1st, 1866, to April 7th, 1868, 88,496.23 ; total, 828,129.41. 

Of this amount, 811,422.36 was expended on account of "Soldiers' 
Home," and the balance in purchases and other expenses. The association 
had on hand April 7th, 1868, 8187.01. 

From May to November, 1861, between thirty and forty large packages 
were received from different parts of the State by Mrs. Morse Stewart and 
Mrs. George Duffield and sent forward, besides an unrecorded amount dis- 
tributed to regiments in INIichigan. 

Chaplain Samuel Day, 8th Illinois inftmtry, INIilitary Agent for U. S. 
Sanitary Supplies, a most efficient and industrious officer, and now a resi- 
dent of Ann Arbor, collected in this State in 1863, and forwarded through 
the U. S. Sanitary Commission at Chicago for distribution in the field, 2,337 
barrels of vegetables, (mostly potatoes and green apples;) 167 barrels of 
onions ; 29 barrels of best stock ale. Add to this three thousand one hun- 
dred and thirty-seven dollars and fifty-five cents remitted to Sanitary Com- 
mission at Chicago for the purchase of vegetables, reducing the same to 
barrels, would give 5,673 barrels vegetables and 29 barrels ale, giving an 
aggregate of 5,702 barrels. 

Aeide from the aid furnished by the associations referred to, there were 
large amounts botli of money and supplies sent by private agents, ministers 
of the gosiK'l, and many other noble and kiiid-Iieartcd people who visited 
the army and hospitals from time to time on errands of mercy and benevo- 
lence, largely contributing towards a great cause, which was bountifully 
sustained without a parallel in the history of nations. 

These associations were most opportunely and very substantially assisted 
in 1864 by the " Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society of Kalamazoo," under whose 
auspires a " State Sanitary Fair" was held in September of that year, in 
connection with the " State Agricultural Fair." It was a complete success, 
and netted 89,618.78 over expenses. 



SANITARY OPERATIONS. 203 

The following is the report of the Execu ive Committee, made to the 
Adjutant-General of the State: 

John Robertson, Adjidant- General State of Michigan: 

Sir: Herewith the undersigned submit a report, embracing an account 
of receipts and disbursements of the "IMichigan State Sanitary Fair," held 
at the village of Kalanuizoo, on the "State Agricultural Fair Grounds," on 
the 20th, 21 St, 22(1, and 2:1(1 days of September, A. D. 1864. The follow- 
ing correspondence exhibits the origin of the " Fair:" 

To Mrs. John Potter and Miss Eliza Fisher, of the Ladies' Soldiers' Aid So- 
ciety, of Kalamazoo, Micldgan : 

The undersigned, citizens of Kalamazoo county, knowing that you have 
been active, and have accomplished much — ever since the rebellion com- 
menced — in every good work for the relief of the sick and wounded Union 
soldiers, would most respectfully suggest that thousands of the patriotic and 
generous people of Michigan will he glad, in connection with the annual 
fair of the Michigan State Agricultural Society, to be held on the 20th, 
21st, 22d, and 23(1 days of September, at Kalamazoo, to contribute of their 
abundance, in money and articles, for the purpose of aiding the wounded 
and sick of that army which fough't in defence of our national flag and the 
Union, against the traitorous designs of those who hate liberty and love 
despotism. We would suggest that a. fair be held on the grounds to 1be 
occupied by the Agricultural Society, for the purpose above mentioned, and 
we earnestly solicit that you — calling to your aid suitable persons — may 
devise such plan for the consunnnation of the foregoing purpose as may be 
deemed proper. 

Si,rncd :— II. G. Wells, Joseph Sill, Allen Totter, J(jhn Baker, Daniel 
Cahill, J. M. Edwards, J. P. Woodbury, N. A. Balch, J. W. lJrees(;, L. II. 
Trask, George Lewis, Henry Montague, F. W. Curtenius, O. N. Giddings, 
David S. Walbridge, JMarsh Giddings, J. ]\I. Neasmith, B. :M. Austin, 
George A. Fitch, J. W. jNIansur, Henry Iloyt, Hiram Arnold, Henry 
Bishop, Henry Dreese, Samuel W. Walker, J. J. Perrin, Isaiah W. Pur- 
sel, Frank Ilenderson, J. A. B. Stone, James A. Walter, G. 11.^ Gale, 
Henry Wood, David Fisher, A. Cameron, S. S. Cobb, J. W. Lay, William 
A. Wood, John C. Bassett, Trowbridge & Bassett, John j\rKibl)eu, Cliarlcs 
Bell, Alfred Thomas, Ge.n'ge Colt, AV. B. Clark, F. Chase, j\I. B. Miller, E. 
A. Carder, G. D. Penliekl, J. K. Wagner, E. O. Humphrey, Charles S. 
May, C. D. Handscomb, Thomas Brownell, James Tui-ner, William A. 
Hurst, A. C. Wortley, Thomas lirowning, S. K. Selkrig, A. H. Geisse, 
James I*. Clai)ham, Pickering & Wormlev, Austin George, A. D. Robinson, 
AV. II. Snow, Z. S. Clark, F. U. Clark, P. L. Haines, H. S. Parker & Co., 
John Bennett, I. C. Bennett, A. E. Bartlett, Frank Little, D. Putnam, C. 
S. Cobb, R. S. Babcock, C. AV. Hall, II. F. Cock, P. C. Davis, II. C. 
Briggs. 

Kalamazoo, August 2od, A. D. 1864. 

To THE People of the State of ]\Iiciiigan : The undersigned, of the 
"Soldiers' Aid Society," of Kalamazoo, pursuant to the foregoing recjuest, 
after having obtained the kind aid of many ladies and gentlemen of this 
county, and other parts of the State, have made arrangements for holding 
a "^Miehigan State Sanitary Fair," at Kalamazoo, on the 20tli, 21st, 22d, 
and 23d of September, A. D. 1864, at which we hope to avail ourselves of 



204 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

patriotic addresses from his Excellency Austin Blair and other distinguished 
persons. 

It is proposed to devote the entire proceeds of this "Sanitary Fair" to 
the sick and wounded soldiers, who have gone forth in defence of that flag 
which is the symbol of Union, and whose brave hearts nerve them to meet 
suffering and death rather than permit one star to be stricken from its 
azure field. 

One-third of the proceeds of this fair will be distributed through the 
"Michigan Soldiers' Relief Committee," at Detroit, consisting of C. H. 
Buhl, B. Vernor, Adjutant-General John Robertson, W. A. Butler, and 
Anthony Dudgeon ; one-third through the "United States Christian Com- 
mission," to be distributed by David Preston, E. C. Walker, Caleb Ives, 
Francis Raymond, J, S. Vernor, and Charles F. Clark, of Detroit, and one- 
third through the " Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society," at Kalamazoo. 

We ask the people of Michigan, men and women, old and young, to 
bring or send to us money, or such articles of value as can be spared, for 
this, a great national purpose. 

]\Iay we not, especially, appeal to the young men who still remain at 
home, and who are preserved from the accidents of the battle-field, the 
long suffering and the weary night watches of the hospital ? If home duties 
and family ties, or impaired health, compel you to resist the inclination to 
aid your country in this its hour of peril, by active service in the field, we 
implore you to give of your means, that health may possibly be restored, 
and comfort administered to the sick and wounded soldiers. 

Of the women of Michigan we ask efficient, active aid in this our effort 
to accomplish a great good ; to them, we believe, we shall not appeal in 
vain. 

God's own blessing, we trust, will rest on all men, women, and little chil- 
dren of Michigan who may be thus inclined to strengthen the hearts and 
hauds, and encourage the valor and jiatriotism of the lathers and husbands, 
and brothers and sons, who have manfully resisted the overthrow of that 
Government which good men of the olden time established, and which we 
humbly pray a righteous God may ever preserve. 

RUTH L. POTTER, 
ELIZA W. FISHER, 
Of the Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society, Kalamazoo. 

It will be noticed that a very brief period elapsed between the time that 
the idea of holding the " Fair" was first entertained and its occurrence, 
but tlie foregoing address was as widely circulated among the people of 
Michigan as circumstances would permit. The ladies of Kalamazoo county 
relied mainly upon the various Soldiers' Aid Societiesof the State for active 
co-operation, and in view of all the surroundings, they were not disap- 
pointed. The general outline for the " Fair" having been arranged, the work 
of preparation commenced. Buildings were to be erected, a hall in which 
articles were to be exhibited and sold to the assembled thousands, and an 
extensive dining-room for visitors, were to be built, and considering the fact 
that the lumber was to be brought by teams a distance of twenty-eight 
miles, the circumstances seemed to be embarrassing. The ladies had deter- 
mined that all obstacles should be overcome, and their efforts were crowned 
with success. 

Contributions in money, merchandise, produce, animals, implements and 
works of art, were furnished with a good degree of liberality, from various 
portions of this State, and in a few instances from beyond the limits of 



SANITARY OPERATIONS. 205 

Micliigan. Words of encouragement, witli gifts of money or articles for 
sale, came alike from the rich and the poor. In not a few instances, the 
widowed mother, whose only son had gone down in the storm of battle, in 
the Army of the Potomac, or the Army of the West, sent forward her hum- 
ble contribution, with an invocation that God would bless the soldier Avho 
stood ready to yield his life in defence of that Government which had given 
him protection from infancy to manhood. A little child from an adjoining 
county, in humble circumstances, furnished her gift, in value the fraction 
of a dollar, with the simple but earnest request that she might be permitted 
to give something ; she wished to do more, but they were poor ; her mother 
was ill, and her father and only brother were soldiers in the war. This 
gift, in fact the most liberal of all, was sold and returned by purchasers, 
again and again, until the amount realized was a handsome addition to the 
general fund. 

On Thursday, the 22d day of September, the "Fair" was duly inaugu- 
rated under the direction of the Hon. James B. Crippen of Cold water, Mich- 
igan, who, after appropriate religious services, in a brief address congratu- 
lated the assembled thousands upon the liberality which had been evidenced 
throughout the loyal States in caring for the men of the Union army, and 
in terms of merited compliment extended to the ladies of the State of Mich- 
igan commendation for their zeal and active effort in behalf of the sick and 
wounded soldier. His Excellency Austin Blair was then introduced, and 
in an address, able, patriotic, eloquent And replete with interesting incidents 
of the war, he held the close attention of his audience for an hour. After 
singing, of rare excellence, by the " Musical Association of Kalamazoo," 
the vast crowd was dismissed, every man and woman seemingly congratu- 
lating themselves that the public exercises had been to them, of great inter- 
est, and worthy of the cause for which the " Sanitary Fair " had been 
planned and arranged. 

No objects in the " Fair " seemed to excite so much of interest and fix 
the attention of the thousands who visited the " Sanitary Hall," as the torn 
and battle-scarred banners, w'hich had been borne by the regiments of 
Michigan during the war, and which had been kindly furnished from the 
Adjutant-General's ofiice. As the multitude gazed on these silent emblems 
of the brave deeds of the men of INIichigan, again and again was heard from 
mother and father the exclamation, as the flag of some particular regiment 
was noted, " My son fought under that banner ;" and not unfrequently the 
sad, accompanying remark, " he fell in battle," or "died in hospital." 

The " Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society, of Kalamazoo," desire to express 
their heartfelt thanks to all-Avho generously contributed to this "Michigan 
State Sanitary Fair," for the benefit of the sick, wounded, and disabled 
soldier. To the delegations of ladies and gentlemen from Wayne, St. Clair, 
]\Iacomb, Lapeer, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Calhoun, Jackson, St. Joseph, Van 
Buren, Cass, and Allegan counties, who attended during the " Fair," and 
kindly contributed by active eflbrt to its success, they specially desire to 
express their great obligation. 

It will be perceived by the accompanying account that the net proceeds 
of the " Fair," already distributed, amounts to §9,300, leaving with the 
treasurer a small balance to cover any possible outstanding liability, or for 
future distribution. 



206 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

MICHIGAN STATE SANITARY FAIR. 

lS64r— Credit. 

By amount received, admission tickets, for Sanitary Hall 81,213 15 

By amount received at Presidential ballot-box 454 25 

By donations in money and sales of articles contributed 11,097 40 

Total 812,764 80 

Debit. 

To amount paid Kellogg & Co. for lumber for buildings 81,243 91 

To labor, printing, and sundry expenses 502 11 

To Kalamazoo Horse Association for rent of ground 276 50 

To supplies for dining tables 1,123 50 

To " Kalamazoo Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society" 2,900 00 

To "United States Christian Commission," Detroit..... 2,900 00 

To "Michigan Soldiers' Relief Committee," Detroit 2,900 00 

To " Michigan Soldiers' Relief Association," Washington City, 

per Hon. J. M. Edmunds 600 00 

To cash, balance on hand 318 78 

Total 812,764 80 

H. G. WELLS, 
S. W. WALKER, 
JOHN POTTER, 

Executive Com. Michigan State Sanitary Fair. 
Kalamazoo, November 10, 1864. 

Among the various associations instituted during the war for tlie relief 
of the sick and wounded soldier, the " Christian Commission " loomed up as 
a great auxiliary in the great and good work. Possessing an immense 
strength and energy, with true devotion, it competed most successfully as a 
sanitary organization, uniting therewith the religious instruction and admo- 
niticju of good men to the living, and administering kindly consolation to 
those who were being called away forever. 

Tlie following report of the Michigan branch for 1864 finds a proper place 
at this time : 

To John Robertson, Adjutant- General State of Michigan : 

In accordance with your request, the Michigan branch of the U. S. Chris- 
tian Commission beg leave to report the nature and extent of its work in 
behalf of the armies of the Union for the past year. 

The commission in this State was first organized on the 15th of June, A. 
D. 1863, but has practically been in operation but a single year. It had no 
part in the great work of the Christian Commission at Gettysburg in July, 
186.'>, except that some of our citizens were commissioned at Philadelphia, 
and acted as delegates on that field. Its first funds of any large amount 
were received from the thanksgiving collections of last year, which were 
nearly all jioured into our treasury. Since that time the operations of this 
branch have been steadily enlarging, its resources increasing, and its plan 
and system of working gaining the favor and approbation of the people. 

The plan of the commission is to minister both to the mental and spiritual, 
as well as the bodily wants of the army. It sends the living preacher, the 
Bible, and the religious newspapers of all denominations, and all the time 



SANITARY OPERATIONS. ' 207 

it is ministering to the temporal wants of the soldier, and working for the 
sick, wounded, and dying. It searches for the wounded amid the thickets 
of the battle-field, and never leaves him till he is discharged from hospital, 
or a prayer consigns hira to a soldier's grave. 

All the delegates of the commission are ministers and laymen, selected 
for their fitness for the work, who labor each six weeks without any com- 
pensation, except the consciousness of doing good. All that is given to the 
commission is dispensed personally by these delegates, and placed by their 
own hands in the hands of the soldier — not handed over to be dispensed by 
officials of the Government, or salaried agents of the commission. 

This branch of the commission has received from the people down to this 
time 821,725.20, most of which has been forwarded to the central office at 
Philadelphia. Stores have been contributed and forwarded to the armies 
from Michigan amounting in value to about 310,000. 

Michigan furnished to us the following delegates, fifty-seven in number, 
nearly all of whom have spent their full term of six weeks in the work of 
the commission : 

William Harvey, Detroit, Army of the Cumberland. 

Rev. Seth Reed, Ypsilanti, Army of the Cumberland. 

Rev. J. M. Strong, Clarkston, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. James Walker, Eckford, Army of the Mississippi. 

Rev. L. Slater, Kalamazoo, Army of the Cumberland. 

James E. Carson, Centreville, Army of the Cumberland. 

Rev. E. H. Pilcher, Ann Arbor, Army of the Cumberland. 

Rev. B. Franklin, Saline, Army of the Cumberland. 

Rev. A. F. Bournes, Dexter, Army of the Mississippi. 

Rev. F. R. Gallaher, Hillsdale, Army of the Cumberland. 

Rev. W. P. Wastell, Holly, Army of the Potomac, 

Prof A. Ten Brook, Ann Arbor, Army of the Mississippi. 

Rev. George H. Hickox, Saline, Army of the Cumberland. 

Rev. D. H. Evans, Palmyra, Army of the Cunilierland. 

Rev. J. J. Gridley, Pinckney, Army of the jMississippi. 

Prof. Joseph Eastabrook, Ypsilanti, Army of the Potomac, 

Alanson Sheley, Detroit, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. O. C. Thompson, Detroit, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. Wm. Hogarth, D.D., Detroit, Army of the Potomac. 

E. C. Walker, Detroit, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. George Duffield, Jr., Adrian, Army of the Potomac. 

Samuel W. Duffield, Adrian, Army of the Potomac. 

Samuel E. Hart, Adrian, Army of the Potomac. 

W. F. King, Adrian, Army of the Potomac. 

A. S. Berry, Adrian, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. Daniel E. Brown, Flint, Army of the Cumberland. 

Prof J. C. Plumb, Ypsilanti, Army of the Potomac. 

Wm. Patterson, Ypsilanti, Army of the Potomac. 

Robert H. Tripp, Hillsdale, Army of the Cumberland. 

Rev. H. N. Bissell, Mount Clemens, Army of the Cumberland. 

F. S. Walker, Bass Lake, Army of the Cumberland. 
Rev. S. E. Wishard, Tecumseh, Army of the Potomac. 
Jlev. J. W. Allen, Franklin, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. R. R. Salter, D.D., LaSalle, Army of the Mississippi. 
Rev. James F. Taylor, Chelsea, Army of the Cumberland. 
C. K. Adams, Ann Arbor, Army of the Potomac. 
O. C. Thompson, Jr., Detroit, Army of the Potomac. 



208 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Rev. John Pierson, Milford, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. J. R. Cordon, Oak Grove, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. Robert H. Conklin, Detroit, Army of the Potomac. 

George Andrews, Detroit, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. S. L. Ramsdell, Northville, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. James 8. Sutton, Brighton, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. Wm. Harrington, North Adams, Army of the Potomac. 

H. B. Denman, Dowagiac, Army of the Potomac. 

O. F. Shannon, Fairwater, Wisconsin, Army of the Potomac. 

J. P. Garvin, M.D., Kendalville, Indiana, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. O. H. Spoor, Vermontville, Army of the Potomac. 

Daniel W. Church, Vermontville, Army of the Potomac. 

Rev. E. II. Day, Otsego, Army of the INIississippi. 

Rev. Thomas Lowrie, Stratford, C. W., Potomac. 

Rev. E. J. Howes, Sylvanus, Mississippi. 

Rev. J. A. Ranney, Sturgis, Cumberland. 

Prof O. M. Currier, Olivet, Cumberland. 

Prof H. E. Whipple, Hillsdale, Potomac. 

Rev. Mr. Taylor, Tecumseh, Potomac. 

All of which is respectfully submitted. 

E. C. WALKER, Chairman. 

CHARLES F. CLARK, Secretary. 

HENRY P. BALDWIN, Treamrer. 

DAVID PRESTON, 

CALEB IVES, 

FRANCIS RAYMOND, 

J. S. VERNOR, 
Army Com. of the U. S. Christian Com. for Michigan. 

VOLUNTEER SURGEONS. 

There were times during the war when battles came thick and fast ; when 
rebel bullets felled men like grain in harvest; when the Medical Depart- 
ment of the Government, with all its accustomed foresight and immense 
resources, with vast preparations to meet coming emergencies, failed in sup- 
plying the demand for surgeons in the field, and when the wounded were 
threatened with extreme suffering; but this deficiency was readily and 
cheerfully supplied by the medical men of the land. The surgeons of Mich- 
igan, without fee or proffer of reward, and at much sacrifice, never failed in 
promptly and substantially responding on these occasions. 

The following extract from a report made in 18G4 by Dr. Joseph Tunni- 
cliff", of Jackson, then State agent at Washington, to the Adjutant-General, 
sets forth their readiness for this service: 

"The Potomac Army, under command of Lieutenant-General Grant, 
crossed the Rtipidan May 5, 1864, and from that day onward to about the 
10th day of June, there occurred a nearly continuous succession of battles, 
80 frc(juent that it is a common remark of the soldiers returned from that 
camj)aign that it seemed to them like one coidhnioiis haitle. 

" Certain it is that the entire region, from the Ilapidan to Cold Harbor, 
was a continuous battle-ground. Three hundred thousand men, in daily 
and nightly conflict for thirty-five days, produced of necessity a host of 
wounded, who demanded from not only the Government but the people every 
sible assistance. 

" Not only the Government ambulances and wagons but every other pos- 



VOLUNTEER SURGEONS. 209 

slble means of transportation which could be devised were resorted to by 
the sick and wounded to reach Fredericksburg, the newly-established base 
and depot of supplies. 

"On the 12th day of May I received from you, General, on behalf of the 
Governor, the following telegram : 

" ' To J. TuNNiCLiFF, Jr., 3Iichigan State Agent : 

" ' The Governor directs that you make every exertion to take care of the 
IVIichigan wounded soldiers. Employ sufficient assistance to do so, and use 
what money may be necessary. Should you need any number of assistants 
from the State, inform by telegraph, and acknowledge the receipt of this 
dispatch by telegraph.' 

" Upon receipt of the above, and after consultation with General Joseph 
K. Barnes, Surgeon-General — who, permit me to add, is precisely the right 
man in the right place — I dispatched the following reply : 

" ' General Robertson — Sir : Your telegram is received. Large provi- 
sion has already been made by the Surgeon-General and the various sani- 
tary commissions to meet the requirements. I have forwarded ]\Irs. Brai- 
nard and IMiss Wheelock, with three assistants and twenty boxes of sanitary 
stores, to Fredericksburg, on the 10th instant. The Surgeon-General directs 
me to say that he will accept the services of ten ( 10) experienced surgeons, 
fully cquipj)ed for ten (10) days' service in the field. Direct them to report 
at tills office. I have made provision to have them forwarded.' 

" It is with no ordinary pride that I record the fact, that in response to 
this invitation, thirty-three surgeons, with their assistants, left their business 
and the comforts of home to volunteer their services, without compensation, 
to aid their suffering countrymen at this trying period, and among them 
are many of the most eminent surgeons of our State. I deem it but just 
that I should append their names : 

" Drs. Alonzo B. Palmer, Ann Arbor; D.L.Davenport, E.M.Clark, 
Detroit ; Edward Cox, Z. L. Slater, Battle Creek ; C. F. Ashley, W. G. Cox, 
A. F. Kinney, Ypsilanti ; W. B. Smith, Ann Arbor ; Gordon' Chittock, F. 
M. Reasnor, Jackson ; R. B. Gates, George Barnes, Chelsea ; S. C. Willie, 
East Saginaw; M. F.Baldwin, Flint; Stephen Griggs, E.W.Goodwin, 
Detroit; E. Church, Marshall; R. H. Davis, Mason; James C. Willson, 
Flint ; H. C. Farrand, East Saginaw ; J. E. Smith, Portland ; John Smith, 
Pontiac; J.E.Wilson, Rochester; F. B. Galbraith, C. C. Jerome, Port 
Huron; O. F. Burroughs, Galcsburg; J. P. Nash, Marshall; W. L. Still- 
well, Kalamazoo; S. Lathrop, Pine Burr; H. C. Fairbank, Gi'and Blanc; 
E. R. Ellis, and L. DePuy, Grand Rapids. 

" Thousands of the soldiers of our army — for their labors were not re- 
stricted to the soldiers of our State — will remember so long as the pulses of 
life flow, with grateful hearts, the unselfish devotion and skill with which 
this body of volunteer surgeons labored to relieve them. 

" They were not all assigned to duty at Fredericksburg; for, as the army 
advanced, some of them were sent to the White House, and many of them 
to City Point. Most of them remained so long as their services were needed, 
and I regret to add that a number of them returned in a greatly impaired 
state of health. 

" The following young gentlemen, students of medicine and surgery, for- 
warded by the citizens of Ann Arbor, reported as volunteer dressers, June 
1st, were accepted by the Surgeon-General, and sent to duty in hospitals at 
City Point : Messrs. "O. Marshall, M. O. Bently, P. Martin, J. K. Johnson, 
N 



210 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

and D. V. Dean. They all did well — indeed, most of them were so well 
liked by the medical officers in charge that they were soon employed as 
assistant surgeons, and placed in charge of surgical wards. It may be well 
to add here that these young men had nearly completed their course of 
study preparatory to graduation. The people of Ann Arbor may well feel 
proud of their contribution. It was what money could not purchase." 

SOLDIERS' VOTE IN THE FIELD. 

In accordance with an act of the Legislature, aj^proved February 5th, 
1864, to enable the qualified electors of this State in the military service to 
vote at certain elections, the same were held amongst the Michigan troops 
in the service of the United States on the 7th day of November, 1864. They 
took place under the supervision of the commissioners appointed in the fol- 
lowing letter of the Executive, and were conducted in compliance with the 
instructions therein contained : 

State op Michigan, Executive Office, 

Lansing, October 14, 1864. 

The several commissioners appointed and commissioned under the act 
entitled " An act to enable the qualified electors of the State in the military 
service to vote at certain elections, and to amend sections 45 and 61 of 
chapter 6 of the compiled laws," are directed immediately to make and file 
with the Secretary of State the oath of office required by law, and on or 
before the 25th day of October instant to report at the office of the Adjutant- 
General in Detroit, where the necessary poll-books, blank forms, certificates, 
and instructions, together with copies of the law, will be furnished them. 
Having been so furnished, the commissioners will immediately proceed to 
the places where the work assigned them is to be performed. In the per- 
formance of their duties they will take the oath of office as the guide, and 
will do their duty " impartially, fully, and without reference to political 
preferences or results." It will be proper for them to carry printed ballots 
with them for the use of the electors of whatever party ; but the act forbids 
them to attempt in any manner to influence or control the vote of any 
soldier. 

Such printed ballots may also be left at the office of the Adjutant-General 
in Detroit, to be delivered to the commissioners, or they may be delivered 
directly to the commissioners themselves. In the apportionment of the work 
it has been found very difficult to make it equal or even to cover the whole 
ground. The commissioners are therefore required, if necessary, to assist 
each other, and wherever small bodies of Michigan troops are found with 
whom no commissioner is present to act as such. The work is apportioned 
among the commissioners as follows : 

ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. 

David B. Harrison, Mason, 26th infantry, 1st division, 2d army corps, 
near Petersburg, Va. 

M. D. Hamilton, Monroe, 7th infantry, 2d division, 2d army corps, and 
company B, 2d U. S. S. S., 1st division, 3d army corps, near Petersburg, 
Va. 

Edwin C. Hinsdale, Detroit, 5th infantry, 3d division, 2d army corps, 
and companies C, I, and K, 1st U. S. S. S., in the same division, near Pe- 
tersburg, Va. 

John S. Estabrook, East Saginaw, 1st and 16th infantry, 1st division, 5th 
army corps, near Petersburg, Va. 



SOLDIERS VOTE IN THE FIELD. 211 

William W. Wright, Livonia, 24th infantry, 3d division, 5th army corps, 
near Petersburg, Va. 

William Winegar, Grass Lake, 2d, 8th, and 17th infantry, 1st division, 
9th army corps, near Petersburg, Va. 

Joseph Warren, Detroit, 20th and 27th infantry and 1st sharpshooters, 
1st division, 9th army corps, near Petersburg, Va. 

Jacob Kanouse, Cohoctah, 1st and 5th cavalry, 1st division, cavalry corps, 
in the Shenandoah Valley. 

Martin Gray, Saline, Gth and 7th cavalry, 1st division, cavalry corps, in 
the Shenandoah Valley. 

Andrew Robinson, Sharon, one company 1st cavalry, and one company 
26th infantry, and U. S. hospitals, at Alexandria, Va. 

Charles Betts, Burr Oak, loth and 14th batteries. Fort Foot, Maryland, 
and hospitals in Washington. 

ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. 

Asher E. Mather, Pontiac, 9th and 22d infantry. General Thomas' 
Headquarters, near Atlanta, Ga. 

William A. Robinson, Grand Rapids, 10th and 14th infantry, 2d divis- 
ion, 14th army corps, near Atlanta, Ga. 

Henry L. Hall, Hillsdale, 18th infantry, 4th division, 20th army corps, 
near Decatur, Ala. 

John C. Laird, Mendon, 19th infantry and battery I, 3d division, 20th 
army corps, near Atlanta, Ga. 

L. M. S. Smith, Grand Haven, 13th and 21st infantry, engineer brigade, 
Lookout Mountain, Tenn. 

David Horton, Adrian, 4th cavalry, 2d division, cavalry corps, near 
Atlanta, Ga. 

John McNeil, Port Huron, 2d cavalry, 1st division, cavalry corps, near 
Franklin, Tenn. 

Albert Miller, Bay City, batteries E and D, battery E at Nashville, 
Tenn., battery D at Murfreesborough, Tenn., and the hospitals at Nash- 
ville. 

E. D. W. Burtch, Lansing, 1st engineers and mechanics, Cartersville, Ga. 

Asa Bunnell, Lyons, company D, 66th Illinois volunteers, and companies 
B and H, 44th Illinois volunteers, near Atlanta, Ga. 

John H. Richardson, Tuscola, 29th infantry, Nashville, Tenn. 

ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE. 

William Sinclair, Jonesville, 15th infantry, 2d division, 15th army corps, 
near Atlanta, Ga. 

Thaddeus G. Smith, Feutonville, batteries B and C, 16th army corps, 
battery B, at Rome, Ga., and battery C, at East Point, Ga. 

Sylvester Higgins, Charlotte, batteries H and K, 17th army corps, near 
Atlanta, Ga. 

James J. Hogaboom, Hudson, 23d and 25th infimtry, and battery F, 2d 
division, 23d army corps, near Decatur, Ga. 

William Hulsart, Romeo, 8th cavalry, Nicholasville, Ky., and batteries 
L and M, 23d army corps, Cumberland Gap, Tean. 

M. S. Bowen, Cold water, 9th cavalry, cavalry division, 23d army corps, 
near Atlanta, Ga. 

Henry H. Holt, Muskegon, 10th cavalry, cavalry division, 23d army 
corps, Strawberry Plain, Tenn. 

William A. House, Kalamazoo, cavalry division, 23d army corps, 
Louisa, Ky. 



212 



HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



ARMY OF THE GULF. 

Warren S. Crippeu, Schoolcraft, 6th heavy artillery, near Mobile, and 
battery G, New Orleans. 

Levi Sparks, Niles, 12th infantry, 2d division, 7th army corps, Duvall's 
Bluff, Ark. 

Nathan H. Bitely, Lawton, 3d cavalry^ at Duvall's Bluff, Ark. 

William F. Neil, Battle Creek, Merrill Horse, at Duvall's Bluff. 

S. O. Kingsbury, Grand Rapids, 3d infantry, Nashville. 

W. Y. Rumney, Detroit, 4th infantry, Nashville. 

AVilliam B. Williams, Allegan, 28th infantry, Nashville. 

Josiah Turner, Owosso, hospitals at Annapolis, Baltimore, Philadelphia, 
and York, Penn. 

Weston Flint, hospitals at St. Louis, Mo. 

Caleb Clark, hospitals at Washington, and Frederick, Md. 

D. O. Farrand, hospitals at Detroit. 

AUSTIN BLAIR. 

The result of the vote for Presidential electors was as follows : 



REPUBLICAN. 



Robert R. Beecher 9,402 

Thomas D. Gilbert 9,402 

Frederick Waldorf 9,402 

Marsh Giddings 9,402 

Christian Eberbach 9,402 

Perry Hannah 9,402 

Omar D. Conger 9,402 

Georse W. Peck 9,402 



DEMOCllATIC. 



Samuel T. Douglas. 2,959 

Rix Robinson 2,959 

Henry Hart 2,959 

Royal T. Twombly 2,920 

D. Darwin Hughes 2,959 

John Lewis 2,959 

Michael E. Crofoot 2,942 

Richard Edwards ...2,935 



The number of imperfect votes was 47. 

The vote for Governor was — Henry H. Crapo, Republican, 9,612, and 
William M. Fenton, Democrat, 2,992. 

The infantry regiments which did not vote were the 10th, 11th, 13th, 
14th, and 21st ; of the cavalry, the 1st, 4th, 6th, and 9th, and of the light 
artillery, battery G. 

RECEPTION OF TROOPS. 

Early in June, 1865, and prior to the return to the State of the first troops 
from the field, a meeting was held in the city of Detroit for the purpose of 
taking measures to provide for the returning Michigan regiments such re- 
freshments and attention as they might stand in need of on their arrival in 
the city, and the following committees were appointed : 

Committee of Reception. — Ladies — Mrs. Brent, T. K. Adams, Silas Holmes, 
Walter Ingersoll, John Palmer, J. S. Farrand, L. B. Willard, Jabez Holmes, 
L. S. Trowbridge, Slocum, and A. C. INIcGraw. Gentlemen — Rev. George 
Taylor, Messrs. J. W. Farrell, Ed. Wetmore, W. S. Penfield, F. Wetmore, 
T. K. Adams, George W. Hudson, Jabez Holmes, E. C. Walker, George 
Shcley, and H. M. Wright. 

Committee of Finance. — Messrs. E. B. Ward, David Preston, C. H. Buhl, 
John Owen, C. C. Trowbridge, R. N. Rice, Mark Flanigan, W. K. Muir, 
Edmund Trowbridge, and Ira Davis. 

Mr. H. R. Johnson was selected as purveyor and superintendent of tables, 



RECEPTION OF TROOPS.— PRESENTATION OF COLORS. 213 

and proved the right man in the right phice, performing much service and 
to the satisfaction of all concerned. 

By the gratuitous and attentive services of these committees, involving 
much labor, both early and late, aided by a number of ladies and gentle- 
men, and sustained by the liberal contributions of the citizens, so generously 
made, the object was most successfully accomplished, and from June 4th, 
1865, down to June 10th, 1866, 14,510 Michigan and 3,506 Wisconsin troops 
had been received and entertained. 

R. N. Rice, Esq., Superintendent of the Michigan Central Railroad, Avith 
his accustomed liberality and kindness, permitted the committees to use the 
upper story of the freight house of the Michigan Central Railroad, which 
was properly fitted up as a dining hall and appropriately decorated. 

During the whole period in which regiments arrived in Detroit, the Rev. 
George Taylor, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and formerly chaplain 
in the 8th Michigan infantry, an agent of the Christian Commission, was 
permitted by that association to devote his time to the returning troops. 
He was most attentive, seldom failing to be present on their arrival, taking 
the management of their reception, and rendering efficient services. Ever 
ready with a warm and enthusiastic welcome, w'hich our Michigan men as 
well as those of Wisconsin will long remember. 

At Jackson, a rendezvous for returned troops, similar arrangements were 
generously and liberally made by the citizens, and during the time specified 
above 10,659 Michigan troops had been received and entertained in a like 
manner as at Detroit. 

Most of these troops arriving in Detroit came via the splendid Detroit 
and Cleveland line of steamers, then consisting of the Morning Star, (since 
lost,) Captain E. R. Viger, and the City of Cleveland, Captain William 
McKay. The kindness extended to so many regiments of Michigan and 
Wisconsin troops, and especially to returning sick and disabled soldiers, on 
every occasion by their officers and owners, have most positively identified 
these steamers with the history of Michigan and Wisconsin troops. ]\Iany 
thousands of them will look back with grateful memory to the time when, 
W'eary, dusty, and longing for home and friends, their eyes first caught a 
glimpse of them and the blue, cooling waters of Lake Erie. 

PRESENTATION OF COLORS. 

The presentation of the colors of Michigan regiments to the State, which 
took place in Detroit on the 4th of July, 1866, was an occasion of no ordi- 
nary interest to the inhabitants of that city and the people of the State gen- 
erally. In the Adjutant-General's report for that year is found the follow- 
ing notices of these ragged but interesting standards : 

" Next of interest to the return to the State of the men themselves who 
have so nobly established and sustained its reputation in the field, and so 
conspicuously aided in the salvation of the nation, is the return of the colors 
under which their services were so bravely and fiiithfully performed and so 
successfully consummated. 

" These tattered but honored banners are the cherished and venerated 
emblems of great public services rendered by the soldiers of the State to the 
Repiiblic, and are universally acknowledged as the symbols of regimental 
bravery, individual courage, loyalty, and jiatriotism ; and are recognized as 
tokens of fraternal associations, formed and cemented in trying times and 
under most extraordinary circumstances, enduring while life lasts. 

" They are, aside from that, indelibly stamped on the hearts of the people, 



214 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURLXG THE REBELLION. 

the most forcible memeutos of the gallant regiments that so heroically up- 
held and so persistently stood by them and the country, even in the darkest 
days of the war. 

" They were as little specs in the long lines of the great American armies, 
yet they were often watched in the advancing columns with intense anxiety, 
but with strong confidence and hope by the greatest generals of the land. 

" To bear them aloft was a signal for rebel bullets, often bringing swift 
and certain death, but they were never trailed in the dust nor lacked a gal- 
lant bearer. On them many a noble son of Michigan has looked his last 
and bade farewell to life." 

On the 19th of May preceding an order was issued from the State Mili- 
tary Department, by direction of the Governor, determining the 4th of July 
for the presentation of these colors, and extending a cordial invitation to 
the officers and soldiers of all the regiments to be present. Following is an 
extract from that order, Avhich finds a fitting place here : 

" The appropriateness of setting apart the national birthday for that pur- 
pose will be fully recognized and appreciated. Its hallowed memories will 
remind the patriots present of the gallant struggle of their patriotic fore- 
fathers in establishing the Government in the defence and maintenance of 
which they have been so successfully instrumental. 

" The State will be highly honored in receiving on that great national 
day the cherished evidences of the manhood, courage, and patriotism of its 
soldiers, and of their eminently gallant and meritorious services to the Re- 
public in its great and successful battle for national existence, and it will 
proudly accept and faithfully retain and preserve them as sacred mementos 
thereof and of the loyalty and patriotism of its people. 

" The congregated emblems of National and State prowess, and of regi- 
mental bravery and fraternal associations there presented, will revive in 
the mind of every soldier recollections of great and gallant deeds, of days 
and nights fraught with anxiety, doubt, danger, and death, of sacrifices to 
patriotism, of hairbreadth escapes, of attacks, of repulses, of sad defeats, 
of glorious victories, of long and weary marches, of hunger, thirst, and cold, 
and of sorrow and sadness for fallen comrades ; but all will look upon them 
with reverential pride, and recognize them as having been their guiding 
star in many brilliant but sanguinary conflicts, having followed them in the 
victorious charge of the assaulting column, having from them received 
silent directions when all orders were lost in the din and confusion of con- 
tending armies, and having under their tattered but glorious stars and stripes 
battled long and bravely for the right." 

On the 19th of June, in accordance with instructions from the War De- 
partment, ]\Iajor John H. Knight, chief mustering officer, addressed the 
following letter to the Adjutant-General of the State, at which time the 
flags were officially delivered at the military headquarters of the State : 

Office Chief Mustering Officer, 
Detroit, Mich., June 19, 1866. 
Brig. Gen. John Robertson, 

Adjutant General State of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan : 
General : — All the regiments sent from the State of Michigan to put 
down the rebellion of the Suuthcrn States having now been nmstered out of 
service, paid ofi', and disl)anded, the time has arrived when I should, in 
compliance with orders from the War Department, deliver to the Governor 
of the State the flags turned over to me by the officers of the disbanded 
regiments. 



PRESENTATION OF COLORS. 215 

I have the honor, this day, to deliver to you (you being at the head of 
the State INIilitary Bureau and its chief officer) all of them in my possession. 

Please find a list of the flags inclosed. In turning them over to you I 
am sensibly reminded that they are the flags under which so many brave 
and successful deeds have been performed — so many valuable lives given 
up in the cause of the Union and republican liberty, and such beneficial 
results obtained. 

In the history of the world we are unable to find where mankind was 
engaged in a better or more glorious cause, or where the results have been 
more important to the cause of humanity and good government ; and if the 
sons of Michigan have been called upon to give up their lives, and part with 
the dearest earthly objects, those whose immediate loss has been great 
thereby have a sweet consolation in the fact that their blood is the seed 
from which will grow up fruits dear to succeeding millions of freemen, and 
who will not fail to render that devout homage to their memory whenever 
they shall gather around the Altars of Liberty to offer up thanks to Him 
who is grea,t over all, for the glorious heritage which those gallant defenders 
have so permanently secured. They will, therefore, live in their deeds, 
whilst a single pillar of the Republic stands. Those who under these flags 
survived the terrible battles which have been fought during the late rebel- 
lion, in the cause of our great and powerful Government, will see and enjoy 
the rich fruits of their heroic deeds, and with full hearts will join their 
fellow-countrymen in rendering tribute to the memory of their comrades 
who fell in the bloody strife. And when all who have partici])ated in the 
war for the Union have [)assed away, succeeding generations will catch up 
the songs of praise now being sung over the glories achieved, and will chant 
them with renewed and grateful strains through all time to come. 

It was very pi'oper that orders were made to deposit these flags with the 
State authorities. Torn and tattered into mere strips though they be, yet 
each piece will be most sacredly preserved by each succeeding State ad- 
ministration, and upon all great national occasions when they are brought 
forth, they will call together not only those who, under their folds battled 
for the preservation of the Republic, but lovers of liberty from all parts of 
the State ; and they will continually remind the people of the priceless 
heritage W'hich has been secured to themselves and to coming genei'ations. 
Only those who carried them through the frightful scenes of suffering and 
death can fully realize the terrible ordeals through which our great nation 
has been preserved, yet all will be reminded how great is the boon of con- 
stitutional freedom ; and the warning they Avill exhibit to treason will be 
sufficient to stay its hand and compel obedience when inclination would 
direct acts of rebellion. 

By depositing these flags with the State authorities in each State, the 
authorities of the Government have placed therein a monument in memory 
of its glories which will be most cherished, and whenever beheld by the 
people will far surpass, in the feelings of veneration which they will call 
forth, all the i)illars of marble or granite which human genius could build. 
It will be remembered that they have passed through the scenes of strife, 
and that they have been carried by the hands of the brave men themselves, 
who fought and died for our national liberties. It will be seen that on them 
is inscribed the names of the battles passed through, where the fate of liberty 
was staked and decided ; and with what feelings of reverence will these 
strips of bunting be h)oked upon by the father, mother, brother, or sister, 
whose son or brother marched to victory or glorious death under their folds. 
Whilst all patriots on viewing these battle-flags will remember and mourn 



216 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

the loss of life and regret the vast expenditures which have been made to 
preserve our liberties, yet all will rejoice over the glorious results which 
have been achieved. 

Permit me to congratulate, through you, the people of Michigan, for the 
brilliant and conspicuous part performed by Michigan regiments in the late 
war f )r the Union. I believe there is no blot upon their record, but all is 
bright, conspicuous and glorious, whilst an extraordinary number of per- 
sonal distinctions shine upon the pages. 

Expressing my sensibility of the fortunate honor in being the instrument 
of the Government for delivering to the State these sacred colors, 
I remain your most obedient servant, 

JOHN H. KNIGHT, 

Brevet Major U. S. Army, 
Chief Mustering Officer, Michigan. 

The invitation extended by the Governor to the soldiers of Michigan to 
be present, was responded to in keeping with the great love which they 
have always borne for the old flag, under all circumstances* and they 
rallied in great numbers under the war-worn folds of their old banner as 
in times gone by. 

On the day set apart for the purpose, the colors referred to were for- 
mally presented by the respective regiments, through his Excellency, to the 
State. 

" I saw the soldiers come to-day 

From battle-fields afar ; 
No conqueror rode before their way, 

On his triumphal car; 
But Captains, like themselves, on foot, 

And banners sadly torn, 
All grandly eloquent, though mute, 

In pride and glory borue. 

"Those banners soiled with dust and smoke, 

And rent by shot and shell, 
That through the serried phalanx broke, 

What terrors could they tell ! 
What tales of sudden pain and death — 

In every cannon's boom — 
When e'en the bravest held his breath, 

And waited for his doom." 

The Hon. M. I. Mills, Mayor of Detroit, presided on the occasion, and, 
in a most happy speech, welcomed the troops present. 

The ceremonies were commenced with prayer, by the Rt. Rev. Bishop 
McCoskry. The flags were presented on behalf of the troops by General 
O. B. AVilcox, in a happily conceived and stirring speech, and were received 
in an eloquent and appropriate address by Governor Crapo, and the cer- 
emonies were closed by the Rev. Dr. DulHeld, with an impressive bene- 
diction. 

It is proper and just to mention that the action of the State authorities 
was cheerfully aided and must liberally sustained by the citizens t)f De- 
troit, aud after the presentation, the returned troops partook of a sub- 
stantial repast, prepared for them by the people, and were waited upon 
at the tables by over three hundred ladies aud a large number of gen- 
tlemen. 

The afPair was graced and honored by the largest and most magnificent 
celebration ever had in Michigan, and was participated in by tlie most 



THE HARPER HOSPITAL. 217 

numerous asscmblii,o:e of people, from all parts of the State, ever congre- 
gated within its borders. 

One hundred and twenty-three of these flags were presented, belonging to 
the various regiments, and are now deposited in the archives of jMichigan, 
there to be sacredly kept and carefully preserved. Around them cluster 
hallowed memories of companions in arms, of regimental bravery, and 
State pride, of national grandeur and prowess, of individual heroism, 
of fallen comrades and family bereavements, and of a nation saved. 

THE HARPER HOSPITAL. 

In 1863 representations were made to the Government by Colonel Charles 
S. Tripler, surgeon United States Army, then United States Medical Di- 
rector in the State, that the erection of a general hospital at Detroit, for 
the reception and care of sick and wounded Michigan soldiers, was an 
absolute necessity. Accompanying these representations was an urgent 
re(]uest for immediate action in the matter. Colonel Tripler was ably 
aided in this effort by Colonel George W. Lee, chief quartermaster, and 
Dr. D. O. Farrand, assistant surgeon. United States army. The object 
had also the influence and recommendation of the Governor and military 
authorities of the State. 

After much laborious correspondence and provoking delays, the autho- 
rity was finally obtained, under an order from the Secretary of War, and 
the work on Harper Hospital was commenced early in 1864, under the 
superintendence of Colonel Lee. 

Instead of constructing the building with three stories or more, as had 
usually been the custom, the hospital w'as made up of eleven one-story 
buildings, with the offices and dispensary in the centre, and the whole 
range connected with each other by a covered aisle in the rear, rendering 
ingress and egress easy and comfortable. 

It cost about sixty thousand dollars, aside from the grounds, the use of 
which was given gratis by the trustees of the Harper Hos])ital Association. 
It had a capacity of about eight hundred patients. Particular attention 
having been given in its construction to ventilation and drainage, with 
superior water arrangements, coupled with exceedingly capable uumage- 
ment, it was known as one of the most complete, comfortable, and best- 
regulated general hospitals in the West. 

When completed, Dr. Farrand was placed in charge, assisted by Dr. W. 
A. Chandler, Dr. William C. Catlin, Dr. E. W. Jenks, and Dr. G. W. 
Fitzpatrick. 

Early in the spring of 1865 Dr. Farrand was relieved by Dr. Byron 
Stanton, a surgeon of volunteers, who remained in charge only a few weeks, 
when he resigned to accept a position in an insane asylum in Ohio. 

Dr. Farrand was again placed in charge, and continued on duty until 
in June or July, when he was, at his own request, transferred to Fort 
Wayne, near Detroit, to take charge of the hospital at that post. 

lir. Wynkoop, a surgeon of volunteers, from Philadelphia, succeeded 
Dr. Farrand, and remained in charge until the close of the hospital, in 
December, 186.3. It was, soon after, given by the Government to the trus- 
tees of the Harper Hospital, a corporate body, having in view the estab- 
lishment of a hospital by that name, for charitable purposes, on condition 
tliat sufficient accommodation should be at all times furnished as a 
"Soldiers' Home," for the invalid and destitute jNIichigan soldiers and 
sailors, and it is now being in part used for that purpose. 

N* 



218 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

The erection of this hospital, at that time affording so much comfort and 
aid to the sick and wounded who needed it so much, should be accepted 
by the people of Michigan as a most favorable and generous recognition of 
the great claims of the State and her soldiers upon the Government, and 
the efibrts made to secure it by the gentlemen named, should entitle them 
to the grateful remembrance and thanks of every soldier, and to the 
kindest consideration of their friends. 

THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS' MONUiMENT. 

The people of Michigan, gratefully appreciating the services and sacri- 
fices of her sons who gave up the dearest boon to man, life, and of those who 
risked it in the same glorious cause, early in the war determined to per- 
petuate their memories and great deeds by erecting a monument chisseled 
from the white marble or the beautiful granite of America, magnificently 
and appropriately ornamented with figures of bronze or marble. 

This measure was inaugurated at a public meeting held by citizens of 
Detroit on July 20th, 1861, when it was resolved to erect a monument to 
the noble dead who had fallen in the war. Judge B. F. H. Witherell, Col. 
E. Backus, U. S. A., Messrs. Charles C. Trowbridge, J. AV. Tillman, and 
Col. H. A. Morrow were aj^pointed a committee to carry out the resolution. 
This committee met on the 6th day of August following, and organized by 
the appointment of Judge Witherell chairman, J. W. Tillman treasurer, 
and T. W. Palmer secretary. 

After several meetings and consultations with friends of the measure it 
was deemed best to postpone immediate action and await the termination 
of the Avar and the crushing out of the rebellion. This desirable result hav- 
ing been reached, a meeting was held in Detroit on July 20th, 1865, when 
it was resolved to refer the whole matter to a committee of seven, with in- 
structions to prepare and report at a subsequent meeting a full and com- 
plete plan of organization, and also to present the names of suitable persons 
to fill the positions or offices they might recommend. Messrs. J. W. Till- 
man, C. C. Trowbridge, John Owen, J. F. Conover, T. W. Palmer, B. F. H. 
Witherell, and John Kobertson were appointed such committee, with power 
to call the next meeting. 

A meeting was held on the 11th of August following, when the committee 
in their report recommended that 850,000 be raised by subscription, and 
submitted a plan of organization and labor, naming as a board of directors 
for the management of the business of the association — 



Hon. B. F. H. Witherell, Detroit. 
Hon. C. C. Trowbridge, Detroit. 
J. W. Tillman, Esq., Detroit. 
Gen. H. A Morrow, Detroit. 
T. W. Palmer, Esq., Detroit. 
Hon. II. P. Baldwin, Detroit. 
Hon. John Owen, Detroit. 
Hon. Henry N. Walker, Detroit. 
W. A. Butler, Esq.. Detroit. 

B. Vernor, Esq., Detroit. 

C. F. Clark, E.sq., Detroit. 
Hon. W. A. Howard, Detroit. 
Gen. John llobertson, Detroit. 
Hon. J. F. Joy, Detroit. 

Miijor Gen. K. O. C. Ord, Detroit. 
Major Gen. 0. B. Wilcox, Defpit. 
Major G'-n. A. S. Williams, Detroit. 



His Excellency Gov. H. H. Crapo, Flint. 

Hon. E. H. Thompson, Flint. 

Ex-Gov. Austin Blair, Jackson. 

Hon. James Birney, Bay City. 

Hon. E. J. Penniman, Plymouth. 

James Burtenshaw, Esq., Ontonagon. 

S. F. Page, Esq., Ionia. 

Hon. Giles Hubbard, Mount Clemens. 

John A. Kerr, Esq., Lansing. 

Dr. Potter, East Saginaw. 

Hon. Peter White, Marquette. 

Hon. T. D. Gilbert, Grand Rapids. 

Hon. llezekiali G. Wells, Kalamazoo. 

Hon. R. C. Paine, Niles. 

Hon. W. S. Maynard, Ann Arbor. 

Tak-ott E. Wing, Esq., Monroe. 

Hon. R. K. Beeeher, Adrian. 



THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS' MONUMENT. 



219 



W. 0. McConnell, Esq., Pontiac. 

Witter J. Baxter, Esq., Jonesville. 

Hon. Charles T. Gorham, MarshalL 

Hon. John R. Kellogg, Allegan. 

Hon. T. W. Ferry, Grand Haven. 

Hon. Edwin Moore, Three Rivers. 

Hon. A. H. Morrison, St. Joseph. 

Hon. W. L. Bancroft, St. Clair county. 

Hon. George Rediield, Cass county. 

Morgan Bates, Esq , Grand Traverse. 

II. Shelton, Esq., Houghton. 

Wm. II. .Mallby, Esq., Sheboygan. 

Wm. McPherson, Esq., Livingston county. 

Hon. Chauncey Davis, Muskegon. 

Hon. G. T. Wendell, Mackinac. 

Hon. Alex. Campbell, Marquette. 

Hon. H. A. Waldron, Hillsdale county. 

Hon. H. A. Divine, Montcalm county. 

Major A. B. Watson, Newaygo county. 

D. Bethune Duffield, Esq., Detroit. 

J. F. Conover, Esq., Detroit. 

A. Mar.xhausen, Esq., Detroit. 

M. Kramer, Esq., Detroit. 

Theodore Romcyn, Esq., Detroit. 

C. I. Walker, Esq., Detroit. 

Gen. W. A. Throop, Detroit. 

Hon. G. V. N. Lothrop, Detroit. 

Hon. Wilson Green, Oceana county. 

T. W. Planners, Esq., Ontonagon county. 

John Moore, Esq., Saginaw county. 

Hon. G. W. Pack, Huron county. 

Hon. Luther Smith, Gratiot county. 

T. C. Owen, Esq., St. Clair county. 

Hon. J. K. Boies, Lenawee county. 

Hon. Hugh McCurdy, Shiawassee county. 



ICol. W. L. Stoughton, St. Joseph county. 
Milton Bradley, Esq., Isabella county. 
Capt. Roe, steamer Michigan. 
Hon. C. A. Staccy, Lenawee county. 
Hon. W. G. Beckwith, Cass county. 
Hon. S. .M. Cutcheon, Washtenaw county. 
J. B. Crippen, Esq., Branch county. 
Hon. James Arraitage, Monroe county. 
Hon. N. G. Isbell, Wayne county. 
Hon. Jas. B. Walker, Grand Traverse co. 
Hon. M. E. Crofooi, Oakland county. 
Hon. James A. Sweezey, Barry county. 
J. E. Fisher, Esq., Leelenaw county. 
Hon. Delos Filer, Manistee county. 
Hon. Perry Hannah, Grand Traverse co. 
Hon. P. B. Barbeau, Chippewa county. 
Hon. Townsend North, Tuscola county, 
Hon. Edwin H. Lothrop, St. Joseph county. 
J. S. Farrand, Esq., Detroit. 
Hon. V. P. Collier, Calhoun county. 
Jesse Crowell, Esq., Calhoun county. 
Hon. Charles Mears, Mason county. 
John Larken, Esq., Midland county. 
John L. Woods, Esq., Salinac county. 
Major Gen. Pierce, Kent county. 
S. W. Hill, Esq., Keewenaw county. 
E. S. Ingalls, Esq., Menominee county. 
John Roost, Esq., Ottawa county. 
Hon. II A. Shaw, Eaton county. 
Hon. George Luther, Ottawa county. 
Niel Gray, Esq., Macomb county. 
Col. J. R. White, Lapeer county. 
Hon. P. Haydeu, Van Buren county. 
Charles Kipp, Esq., Clinton county. 
S. M. Seely, Branch county. 



From this body the committee designated as the officers of the association 
Hon. B. F. H. Witherell, president ; Gen. H. A. Morrow, vice president ; J. 
W. Tillman, Esq., treastirer ; Hon. John Owen, auditor ; T. W. Palmer, 
Esq., secretary, and J. W. Romeyn, Esq., associate .secretary. 

The committee also named as tlie executive committee Hon. C. C. Trow- 
bridge, Hon. John Owen, Hon. H. P. Baldwin, Hon. H. N. Walker, J. F. 
Conover, Esq., and C. J. Walker, Esq., all of Detroit; Ex-Governor Blair, 
of Jackson; Hon. E. H. Thompson, of Flint, and Hon. S. M. Cutcheon, of 
Ypsilanti, with the president, treasurer, and secretary ex officio. 

On June 20, 1867, a meeting was held with Judge Witherell (president) 
in the chair, when Mr. Trowbridge submitted a report, which he had been 
selected to prepare, on the relative merits of the various designs sent in by 
different competing artists. 

On the morning of the 27th Judge Witherell died, and the association 
was called upon to deplore the loss of its original founder, an officer pecu- 
liarly interested in its patriotic work, and who gave to it the last hour of 
his life. 

On the 28th of June the various designs, plans, and estimates were ex- 
amined by the Board of Directors, and their relative merits fully and fairly 
disciLssed. On coming together in the afternoon of that day a ballot was 
had to determine the choice of the directors, when it was found that decided 
preference was given to the design by Randolph Rogers, the eminent Amer- 
ican sculptor, a native of ^Michigan, and a citizen of Ann Arbor when a 
voung man, wlu) is also the contractor for the entire work. 



220 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

The monument, Avhen finisherl, is to stand about forty-six feet, to be 
crowned by a colossal statue of IMichigan ten feet high, a semi-civilized In- 
dian Queen, with a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left ; the 
figure in motion as if rushiug forward in defence of her country. Beneath 
the plinth on whicli she stands are stars and Avreaths. On the next section 
in front is the dedication, " Erected by the people of i\Iichig-an in honor of 
the martyrs who fell aud the heroes who fought in defence of Liberty and 
Union." Ou the left are the ai-ms of the State ; on the right are the arms 
of the United States. On ihe ])rojecting bulments below are four allegori- 
cal figures seated. These figures, if standing, would be six and a half feet 
high, and they represent Victory, Union, Emancipation, and History, On 
the next section below, standing ujwn projecting hutments are the defendei-s 
of Liberty and Union, tlie re[)resentations of the army and navy, four 
statues, seven feet high, .soldiers of inlantiy, artillery, aud cavalry, with a 
sailor of the navy. Between these statues it is proposed to place bassi re- 
lievi, provided sufficient funds are obtained to defray the cost. In the 
meantime the panels may be left vacant without injury to the general effect. 
In the single panel the artist has sketched Mr. Lincoln holding in one hand 
the emancipation proclamation, and in the other a pen. On either side of 
the basd relievi are tablets where may be registered the names of battles or 
other inscriptions. On the outer pedestals are four eagles. All these figures 
are to be of the finest bronze. 

Mr. Rogers ])reseuted an estimate for the Avork in detail, each part being 
separately stated, the gross sum being 650,000, aside from the architectural 
part of granite or marble, which he estimated at S10,000, and a contract 
was entei'ed into accordingly. 

The four allegorical figures embraced in his design are not included in 
this estimate, and if placed ou the structure will increase the cost the amount 
of their value. 

The association was incorporated in 18G8 by the Legislature, and its 
affairs are now managed by a Board of Trustees, composed of John Owen, 
H. P. Baldwin, Theodore Komeyn, Wm. A. Butler, R. A. Alger, George F. 
Bagley, James "NV. Romeyn, Henry N. Walker, Thomas W. Palmer, David 
Preston, J. F. Conover, C. C. Trowbridge, and G. V. N. Lotlirop, of De- 
troit ; Austin Blair, of Jackson, and S. M. Cutcheon, of Ypsilanti. 

Th(? officers of the association at i)resent are Charles C. Trowbridge, pres- 
ident; John Owen, vice president; AVm. A. Butler, treasurer; James W. 
Eomeyn, and Thomas W. Palmer, secretaries. Committee on Finance, 
Henry P. Baldwin, George V. N. Lothrop, and George F. Bagley, of De- 
troit. 

In February, 1866, the Rev. George Taylor was employed as the general 
soliciting and collecting agent, rendering valuable and faithful service. 

In March, 1866, General B. M. Cutcheon, of IManistec, vohniteered his 
services in aid of the measure, giving manly energy and successful effort to 
the cause. 

Nearly sufficient funds are on hand to meet the obligations of the asso- 
ciation, and they expect to raise an additional sum, adequate to placing the 
allegorical figures on the monument, and thus complete the full design of 
the sculptor. 

The ornamental figures are being cast at Munich, and the association 
expect the monument will be completed by the 4th of July, 1871. 

The corner-stone Avas laid in the city of Detroit on July 4, 1867, by 
Grand IMastcr S. G. Coffinbury, of the Masonic fraternity, in presence of 
Grand Connuanderies and Grand Lod<re of that order, and the Grand 



CEMETERIES. 221 

Lodge of the order of Odd Fellows, together with a great many lodges of 
both orders, several lodges of Good Templars, the United States troops 
from Forts Wayne and Gratiot, with the State troops of the city, and an 
immense gathering of people from all parts of the State, while the interest 
of the occasion wjis very acceptably increased by the eloquent and appro- 
priate oration of Governor Blair. 

CEMETERIES AT GETTYSBURG, SlIARPSBURG, AND ANDERSONVILLE. 

The State of IMichigan has always been ready and prompt to respond to 
calls made for means to ini2")rove cemeteries for the heroic dead of the 
nation, and to raise permanent works of art and beauty in their honor and 
to perpetuate their memories. 

I3y an act of the Legislature, approved February 3, 18G4, the sum of 
$3,500 of the war fund was appropriated "for the purpose of paying the 
proportion of this State of the estimated expense of preparing the ground 
furnishing the Soldiers' National Cemetery, at Gettysburg, in the State of 
Pennsylvania, and of making improvements upon that portion thereof 
which is set apart to this State;" ^vhich sura the Governor was authorized 
to disburse for said purposes. 

The Governor was also authorized to appoint a commissioner, Avhenever 
and for such time as he might deem necessary, to superintend the disburse- 
ment of said apjiropriation, and to takb charge of and represent the in- 
terest of this State in said cemetery, under his direction and subject to his 
control. Li accordance with this provision, the Hon. T. ^Y. Ferry was 
appointed. 

By an act of the Legislature, approved March 8th, 1865, the further 
sum of 82,500 of said war fund was appropriated for the purpose of paying 
the })roportion of the expense of this State in completing and keeping in 
repair said cemetery. 

The cemetery contains 3,559 bodies, of which 979 are in the "unknown" 
lots, and 2,580 identified, are lying in the State lots. Numerically, Michi- 
gan stands third in the number slain ; and proportionably to population 
she ranks first in this sacrifice to be made memorable forever by a nation's 
gratitude. 

INIr. Ferry closes his final and very able report, made to the Governor in 
1804, covering his entire duties, Avith the following eloquent remarks : 

"It will, however, matter little ivho were immediately instrumental in 
devising and developing the sacred memorial which is to hand down to 
future generations the lustrous records of patriots who prized country above 
life. 

" They will be forgotten, while shaft, and speech, and song shall tell of 
battle and heroism to ages yet unborn. The decisive contest — the turning 
strife of the war, from which victory, leaping from field to field, eventuated 
in peace, national liberty, and reunion — this, this alone, will be tlie en- 
during, emblazoning chaplet which time shall weave for the gallant heroes 
■who sleep beneath the shadow of the nation's mausoleum at Gettysburg." 

The State also appropriated at the session of the Legislature, in 18(37, 
her proportion (83,344.88) for the purchase, preparation, and care of the 
Antietam National Cemetery at Sharpsburg, Md. The Governor appointed 
John I. Bagley, Esq., as trustee to represent the State in the corporation 
formed for the purpose named. 
" In this resting place Michigan numbers 137 of the heroic dead. 

]\Iost favorable locations for the dead of Michigan have been secured by 



222 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

these gentlemen in both cemeteries, and every duty confided to them has 
been most faithfully executed. 

Since the termination of the war, the General Government, through the 
Quartermaster's Department, has been making most praiseworthy and very 
successful efforts to gather together the bodies of the soldiers who fell in 
battle, and who died in hospital, in rebel prison, or by the wayside, into the 
" national cemeteries " designated by the War Department. With much 
care and great labor the graves have been prepared and marked with tablets, 
giving name, company, and regiment. These cemeteries have been enclosed, 
the grounds laid out and beautified, and persons appointed to protect them 
from desecration. Proper records, as far as practicable, have been made 
of those buried in each, and they have been made up in printed volumes, 
copies of which have been furnished to the various States. 

Andersonville, Georgia, a rebel prison pen, associated as it is with the 
intentional perpetration of the most inhuman barbarities ever committed by 
a savage or civilized people, is the most noted of the national cemeteries, con- 
taining nearly thirteen thousand graves of Union soldiers. Among this 
number are those of six hundred and twenty-three brave Michigan men, 
who, sooner than accept the standing proposition to enter the rebel ranks 
and disown their State and their country, suffered death by starvation, ex- 
posure, and every conceivable manner of brutal cruelty inflicted by rebel 
officers, and with the full knowledge of the Confederate authorities at Rich- 
mond. 

" Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead, 

Dear as the blood ye gave ; * 

No impious footsteps here shall tread 

The herbage of your grave ; 
Nor shall your glory be forgot 

While Fame her record keeps, 
Or Honor points the hallow'd spot 

Where valor proudly sleeps." 

REBEL RAID FROM CANADA. 

The State of INIichigan, being on the Canadian border, was much har- 
rassed by threatenings of invasion, and at times much exposed to raids of 
rebel refugees and marauders, who had found a cheerful welcome and con- 
genial companions, with a safe asylum in the provinces, and who were aided 
in these raids by the Confederate Government at Richmond, and led by its 
commissioned emissaries, receiving at the same time a hearty encouragement 
from a very large proportion of the Canadian people, who were in a most 
unnatural but strong sympathy with the rebellion, and who were ever ready 
to incite and assist when rebels found it advisable to make incursions into 
the adjacent States to pillage and destroy. 

In the Adjutant-General's report for 1864 is found the following account 
of a raid made in September of that year, and which is illustrative of the 
condition of aflfairs in this respect on the frontier about that time : 

"In November, 1863, the War Department was officially notified by the 
British Minister, Lord Lyons, that from a telegraphic despatch received by 
him from the Governor-General of Canada there was reason to believe that 
a plot was on foot, by persons hostile to the United States, who had found 
an asylum in Canada, to invade the States on that frontier; that they 
proposed to take possession of some of the steamers on Lake Erie, to sur- 
[)rise Johnson's Island, near Sandusky, and set free the rebel prisoners of 



REBEL RAID FROM CANADA. 223 

war confined there, and proceed with them to attack Buffalo. This infor- 
mation was communicated by the War Department to the Governors of the 
States bordering on Canada and to the military and civil authorities there- 
of, and urging them to employ all the means in their power to suppress any 
attempt to carry the plot into effect. That there was such a scheme on foot, 
and that it was concocted and put in operation in Canada by the Rebel 
Government, there can be no doubt, as circumstances have transpired and 
documentary evidence received during the past year fully confirming it, and 
that its execution was only prevented at that time by the prompt measures 
taken by the military authorities in the States referred to, and although 
their plans were frustrated their determination was still to carry them into 
effect, and their execution was only deferred until a more favorable oppor- 
tunity. During the present year the United States military officers, and 
also the civil and military authorities of the State, have been almost daily 
in the receipt of rumors and reports from various sources of contemplated 
raids to be made on American frontier cities and on the shipping of the 
lakes to burn and destroy, many of which could not be traced to any reli- 
able origin, yet they served to keep up a continual state of excitement and 
alarm in the cities and villages on the border of the State, and to require 
the vigilant attention of the authorities, and all the preparations within their 
power to successfully meet any attempted invasion of the State were made, 
which were considered at tlie time ample to repel any force that might 
be expected of that description. Yet, notwithstanding, there was a distrust 
and a nervous foreboding of coming mischief amongst the people of the 
frontier cities and villages. This distrust also prevailed among the railroad 
agencies and those engaged in the shipping on the lakes, which led to the 
arming of the community generally as individuals, and of railroad trains 
and lake and river steamers, and to the establishing of safeguards about 
private dwellings, public places of business, and railroad depots. This con- 
dition of affairs continued ; no overt act having been committed, and no 
vi:sible combination of force having been traced to any locality until the 19th 
day of September, 1864, when they concluded to make the attempt by seiz- 
ing the steamer Philo Parsons, belonging to Detroit and running as a pas- 
senger boat from that point to Sandusky, in the State of Ohio. On the 
morning of the day above referred to, four of the raiders, including Bonnet 
G. Burlcy, one of their apparent leaders, took passage on the said boat at 
Detroit On her way down the Detroit river, on her passage to Sandusky, 
she landed at the Canadian ports of Sandwich and Amherstburg, where the 
balance of the raiders got on board, the whole, as has since been ascertain- 
ed, numbering about thirty. The following condensed depositions of W. O. 
Ashley and D. C. Nichols, belonging to the steamer, taken as evidence on 
the extradition trial of Burley at Toronto, in Canada, gave a full account 
of the occurrences on board the Philo Parsons during the time the raiders 
held possession of her : 

" These depositions showed that the steamboat ' Philo Parsons ' was 
owned by the informant Ashley, and other citizens of the United States ; 
that this vessel was a licensed passenger and freight boat, and was plying 
between the city of Detroit, in the State of Michigan, and the city of San- 
dusky, in the State of Ohio, and was accustomed to touch in this route at 
the Canadian port of Amherstburg, and occasionally at Sandwich, and 
sometimes at Windsor, Canada. Ashley was clerk on board the steamer. 
On Sunday evening, the 18th of September, 1864, she was lying at the city of 
Detroit, and the prisoner came on board and said to Ashley that he intended 
to go down in the morning, and that three of his friends were going with 



224 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

liim, and requested the boat might stop at Sandwicli to take them. Ashley 
tokl the prisoner that if he took the boat at Detroit, and liis party were 
ready, the boat "woukl call for them at Sandwich. The prisoner came on 
board the next morning, and reminded Ashley of his promise. The boat 
■was stopped at Sandwich, and three persons came on board, without bag- 
gage or freight. They were well dressed, in the 'Canadian style.' The 
prisoner said his friends were taking a pleasure trip, and would probably 
stop at Kelly's Island. At Amherstburg twenty men or more came on board, 
roughly dressed, and paid their fare to Sandusky. The only baggage 
taken on board at Andierstburg was a large old trunk, tied with a cord. In the 
ordinary course the steamer sliould have reached Sandusky about five P. 
M. Neither the prisoner nor his three foends apparently recognized the 
men who came on boai'd at Amherstburg. The boat reached Kelly's Island 
about four P. M., and proceeded south from the island toward Sandusky, 
Kelly's Island being in the State of Ohio, and about five miles from the 
main shore of the United States, After proceeding about two miles, three 
men came up to Ashley, drawing revolvers, saying he was a dead man if 
he offered resistance. Two of them, as Ashley thought, came on board at 
Sandwich. At this time the prisoner came forward with a revolver in his 
hand, followed by from twenty-eight to thirty-five men, and leveled the re- 
volver at Ashley, ordering him into the ladies' cabin, Avhere Ashley imme- 
diately went, and from which he saw these parties arm themselves from the 
trunk brought on board at Amherstburg, most of them having two re- 
volvers, and some having hatchets. The prisoner ordered a sulky and 
some pig iron, which was on deck, to be thrown overboard, which was 
partly done. Two men guarded Ashley, and they told him they intended 
to eaj)ture the United States steamer 'Michigan,' a war vessel. The prison- 
er acted as one having authority. Plis commands were obeyed. Another 
steamer, called the 'Island Queen,' was seized by the same party, at INIiddle 
Bass Island, and the passengers were brought as prisoners on board the 
' Philo Parsons.' A person named Captain Bell was of the prisoner's party, 
and gave some orders. He told Ashley he wanted him in the office. 
Ashley went there with him and the prisoner. Ashley requested permis- 
sion to take off the boat's books. They refused. Ashley then said he had 
some private j^romissory notes, amounting to about two thousand dollars. 
The prisoner took them, looked at them, and said he could not collect 
them, and returned them to Ashley. Bell then said to Ashley: "We want 
your money." He and the prisoners then had revolvers in their hands. 
Ashlev swore he was iu bodily fear, hut did not consider his life in danger, 
if he did their bidding. He opened the money drawer. There was very 
little money there. The prisoner then said: "You have got more money; 
let us have it." Ashley took a roll of bills from his vest pocket, and laid 
it ou the desk. Bell took part and the prisoner took part, and they took 
the money in the drawer (about SIO) between them. In the roll of bills 
taken by them there was a twenty-dollar note of the United States, com- 
monly called greenbacks, issued by the Secretary of the Treasury. It was 
in use as lawful current money of the United States at the time. It was 
legal tender for twenty dollars, and was the property of the owners of the 
b(jat. The prisoner took this money, as Ashley swore, against his (Ashley's) 
will. He was put in bodily fear and danger of his life at the time. 
Directly after the money was taken Ashley was put ou shore at Middle 
Bass Island, by the prisoner and Bell, and the boat steered for Sandusky, 
with the Island Queen alongside, which last boat was cast adrift in about 
half an hour. Some of the party said they intended to release the prison- 



REBEL RAID FROM CANADA. 225 

ers on Jolinson's Island, which is in the State of Ohio, about two miles 
from Sandusky. The 'Michigan' was lying off Johnson's Island, supposed 
to guard it. There were al)out three thousand prisoners of war there, 
soldiers of the Omfederate States. Ashley stated there was a rebellion 
going on hy the Southern States. He could not tell how many States. 
Captain Bell appeared to be in command of the party on board of the 
'Philo Parsons.' Pie did not say in Ashley's hearing lie Avas in any ser- 
vice, nor for what purpose he took the boat. There wore about twenty-five 
United States soldiers on board the Island Queen, who were captured. The 
passengers were not prevented iVom taking their baggage. Nichols con- 
firmed Ashley's testimony in most of the material particulars. lie said 
that Bell came to him in the pilot house, and said he was a Confederate 
officer, and seized the boat, and took him (Nichols) a ])risoncr. But he 
also said the prisoner seemed to be the leader of them. Tie did not see the 
money taken. He heard the prisoner say, when the Island Queen Avas set 
adrift, that they had cut her ])ipes so that she would sink. They had 
taken every person from on board of her. Afterwards the 'Philo Parsons' 
was steered back towards Detroit. Before this, however, it seems that some 
of the passengers who were made prisoners were put on shore on the Ameri- 
can territory. When, on the return, they had reached the mouth of the 
Detroit river, some of the party asked Nichols where they were, and he 
told them 'in Canadian waters,' and some of them said it was Avell for some 
of the vessels near them, or they would, board thcni ; and they inquired if 
a certain banker did not live at Grosse Isle, in the Detroit river; and being 
told by Nichols that one Ives lived there, they replied if it had not been so 
late they would go and rob liim, A short distance above Amherstburg 
two men landed in a boat on the Canadian sicJc. At Fighting Island 
Nichols and others, part of the crews of the 'Philo Parsons' and 'Island 
Queen ' were put on shore, and the boat proceeded to Sandwich. Nichols 
followed her, and in two hours got to Sandwich, and found her there de- 
serted by the whole Jiarty, and a piano-f irto, a mirror, and some other 
articles of furniture l)elonging to the boat had been landed. Some of 
Nichols' clothing was also taken away. One of the party wore Nichols' 
India-rubber coat. The male passengers who were taken were, before they 
were landed, sworn to keep silent as to the transaction for twenty-four hours. 
The females were asked to promise to do so, but it was not said in Ni(^hols' 
hearing why this was done. When the 'Island Queen' was cast adrift 
they were about fourteen miles from Johnson's Island, as the boat would 
have gone. When coming up the Detroit river, some of the party said 
they had not made much by coming down. They had intended to take the 
'Michigan' if they could. They had a Confederate flag, and compelled 
Nichols to assist in raising it on the ' Philo Parsons,' when the boat was on 
Lake Erie, returning towards the Detroit river. It was put about half-way 
up the flag-staff." 

The complicity of the rebel Government, with its agents, sympathizers, 
and refugees in Canada, in November, I860, in concocting a raid on the 
territory of the United States, is apparent from the date of the following 
appointment, given by Jefferson Davis to Burley, on the 11th day of Sep- 
tember of that year, he undoubtedly being one of the naval officers men- 
tioned in the report of the rebel Secretary of War as having been sent into 
the British provinces with a large number of commissioned and petty officers, 
to organize an expedition against " Johnson's Island," during the fall of the 
year referred to. 

That the expedition on board the " Philo Parsons," in September, 1864, 




226 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

was ordered by the rebel Government, there can be no doubt, if credence is 
given to the following "manifesto" of Jeflerson Davis, produced on the ex- 
tradition trial of Barley before the Canadian court at Toronto, as jiroof that 
the acts of said Burley, in connection with that expedition, were performed 
in obedience to the instructions of the rebel Government, and that he should 
be treated as a belligerent, and not as a pirate and robber : 

"Confederate States of America, 
"Navy Department, Richmond, September 11, 1863. 
" Sir : — You are hereby informed that the President has appointed you 
an acting master in the navy of the Confederate States. You are requested 
to signify your acceptance or non-acceptance of this appointment ; and 
should you accept, you are to sign, before a magistrate, the oath of office 
herewith forwarded, and forward the same, with your letter of acceptance, 

to this Department. Registered No. . The lowest number takes rank. 

"(Signed,) "S. R. MALLORY, 

^'Secretary of Navy. 
"Acting Master Bennet G. Burley, 

" C. S. Navy, Richmond, Va." 

On this there was the following endorsement : 

" Confederate States of America, 

"BicJunond, 22d December, 1864. 
" I certify that the reverse of this page presents a true copy of the warrant 
granted to Bennet G. Burley, as acting master in the navy of the Confed- 
erate States, from the records of this Dejiartment. In testimony whereof I 
have hereunto set my hatid and affixed the seal of this Department, on the 
day and year above written. 

"(Signed,) "S.R. MALLORY, 

"Secretary of Navy." [l. s.] 

[MANIFESTO.] 

confederate states of AMERICA. 

" Whereas it has been made known to me that Bennet G. Burley, an 
acting master in the navy of the Confederate States, is now under arrest in 
one of the British North American provinces, on an application made by 
the Government of the United States for the delivery to that Government 
of the said Bennet G. Burley, under the treaty known as the Extradition 
Treaty, now in force between the United States and Great Britain ; and 

"Whereas it has been represented to me that the demand for the extra- 
dition of the said Bennet G. Burley is based on the charge that the said 
Burley is a fugitive from justice, charged with having committed the crimen 
of robbery and piracy in the jurisdiction of the United States; and 

" Whereas it has further been made knoAvn to me that the accusations 
and charges made against the said Bennet G. Burley are based solely on 
the acts and conduct of the said Burley, in an enterprise or expedition made 
or attempted in the montli of September last, (18G4,) for the capture of the 
steamer ' Michigan,' an armed vessel of the United States, navigating the 
lakes on the boundary between the United States and the British North 
American provinces, and for the release of numerous citizens of the Confed- 
erata States, held as prisoners of war by the United States at a certain 
island called Johnson's Island ; and 

" Whereas the said enterprise or expedition for the capture of the said 



REBEL RAID FROM CANADA. 227 

armed steamer IMichigan, and for the release of the said prisoners on John- 
son's Island, was a i)roper and legitimate belligerent operation, undertaken 
during the pending public war between the two Confederacies, known re- 
spectively as the Confederate States of America and the United States of 
America, which operation was ordered and sanctif)ned by the authority of 
the Government of the Confederate States, and confided to its commissioned 
officers for execution, among which officers is the said Bennet G. Burley ; 

" Now, therefore, I, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States 
of America, do hereby declare and make known to all whom it may con- 
cern, that the expedition aforesaid, undertaken in the month of Septem])er 
last, for the capture of the armed steamer IMichigan, a vessel of war of the 
United States, and for the release of the prisoners of war, citizens of the 
Confederate States of America, held captive by the United States of Amer- 
ica, at Johnson's Island, was a belligerent expedition, ordered and luider- 
takcn under the authority of the Confederate States of America, against the 
United States of America, and that the Government of the Confederate 
States of America assumes the responsibility of answering for the acts and 
conduct of any of its officers engaged in said expedition, and especially of 
the said Bennet G. Burley, an acting master in the navy of the Confederate 
States. 

"And I do further make known to all whom it may concern, that in the 
orders and instructions given to the officers engaged in said expedition, they 
were especially directed and enjoined to 'abstain from violating any of the 
laws and regulations of the Canadian or British authorities in relation to 
neutrality,' and that the combination necessary to effect the purpose of said 
expedition nuist be made by Confederate soldiers and such assistance as 
they might (you may) draw from the enemy's country. 

" In testimony whereof, I have signed this manifesto, and directed the 
same to be sealed with the seal of the Department of State of the Confed- 
erate States of America, and to be made public. 

"Done at the city of Richmond, on this 24th day of December, 1864. 
"(Signed,) "JEFFERSON DAVIS. 

" By the President : 

"J. P. Benjamin, Secretary of Stated 

The following correspondence will show that the military authorities of 
this State were fully aware of the movements and intentions of the raiders 
to attempt an attack on Johnson's Island, and that the commander of the 
steamer Michigan received early information in relation thereto. The mili- 
tary officers at Sandusky were also put on the alert, and a reinforcement, 
consisting of artillery and infantry, had been promptly ordered there from 
Cincinnati, which ensured the security of the rebel prisoners against any 
possibility of rescue : 

(1) [telegram.] 

Detroit, September 17, 1864. 
To Captain John H. Carter, 

Commanding U. S. Steamer Michigan, Sandu.shj, Ohio: 
It is reported to me that some of the officers and men of your steamer 
have been tampered with, and that a party of rebel refugees leave Windsor 
to-morrow, with the expectation of getting possession of your steamer. 
(Signed,) B. H. HILL, 

Lieut. Col. U. S. A., Milit-ary Commander. 



228 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

(2) [telegram.] 

Detroit, Mich., September 19, 1864. 
To Captain J. C. Carter, 

U. S. Navy, U. S. Steamer Michigan, Sandushj, Ohio: 
It is said the parties will embark to-day, at Maiden, on board the " Philo 
Pai'sons," and will seize either that steamer or another running from Kelly's 
Islands. Since my last dispatch, am again assured that officers and men 
have been bought by a man named Cole. A few men to be introduced on 
board under guise of friends of officers. 

An officer named Eddy to be drugged. Both Commander Gardner and 
myself look upon the matter as serious. 

(Signed,) B. H. HILL, 

Lient. Col U. S. A., A. A. P. M. General 

(3) [telegram.] 

U. S. Steamer Michigan, Off Johnson's Island, O., 

September 18, 1864, via Sandushy. 
To Lieut. Col. B. H. Hill, 

U. S. A., 3Iilitary Commander, Detroit, Mich. : 
Thanks for your dispatch. All ready. Cannot be true in relation to the 
officers or men. 

(Signed,) JOHN C. CARTER, Commander, U. S. K 

(4) [telegram.] 

Sandusky, O., September 19, 1864. 
CoL. B. H. Hill, Detroit^: 

Your dispatch of 19th received. I have Cole, and a fair prospect of 
bagging the party. 

(Signed,) J. C. CARTER, Comviander, U. S. N. 

Office IMilitary Commander, District of Michigan, 
Detroit, September 2\st, 1864. 
Major C. H, Potter, 

A. Adj. General, Columbm, Ohio : 

Sir: — I have the honor to inform you that on Saturday night last, 17th 
instant, a person called upon me at my hotel, and introduced himself to me 
as having been for some years a rebel soldier, and recently a refugee in 
Canada. 

He informed me that some of the officers and men of the U. S. steamer 
Michigan had been tampered with, and that it was the intention of the 
Rebel Agent in Windsor, Jacob Thompson, late Secretary of the Interior, 
under President Buchanan's administration, to send a party from Windsor, 
who, with the assistance of the officers and men, would endeavor to get 
possession of the steamer. He said that he had been approached to form 
one of the party, and had consented to do so, and that ho would receive 
more particular information on the next morning, when the party would 
leave for Maiden. He said that with the possession of the steamer Michi- 
gan, they would have control of the Lakes for a couple of months, and 
would lay contribution on all the Lake cities, and had offered very large 
inducements to the officers and men of the steamer. He stated that after 
obtaining full information on Sunday morning, he would fail to join the 
party, and would see me again on Sunday evening. 

The statement of the man and his earnestness made some impression on 



REBEL RAID FROM CANADA. 229 

me, and I telegraphed to Captain J. C. Carter, commanding officer of the 
steamer Michigan, that night, and I enclose a copy marked "1," and his 
reply marked "2." 

On Sunday evening, 18th instant, my informant again crossed tlie river 
and saw me. He reported that he had agreed to join the party, and had 
obtained all the information he could, but at the last moment he had failed 
them. Pie said that the party were to take passage on board the steamer 
"Philo Parsons," at INIalden, and would get possession of her before reach- 
ing Sandusky ; that certain officers and men of the steamer Michigan had 
been tampered with by a man named Cole, and that an officer of the steam- 
er, named Eddy, could not be bouglit, and that the intention was to drug 
him and others. 

My informant thought that the captain of the steamer Philo Parsons had 
also been bought, and if he received any hint on the subject he would give 
information, and he himself would be compromised. 

I went down to the steamer Philo Parsons the next morning at 6 A. M. 
and saw her. She was too small to be of any danger if taken by the per- 
sons, and after mature consideration I came to the conclusion that it would 
be better to let the steamer go, and place Captain Carter on his guard in a 
way that it would make an impression on him, so that the whole party could 
be taken. 

See my telegram marked "?>," and his reply marked "4." 

These plots are being constantly made here. We had the information 
about this one, and the question was whether it would not be better to let 
the steamer go and adopt measures to secure her capture, and make an ex- 
ample in this case. 

On Tuesday last the Philo Parsons arrived at Sandwich in the possession 
of some eighteen men, who had taken passage in her at ]\Ialden the day be- 
fore. It seems that after taking possessit)n of her the piratical i)arty seized 
and sunk a small steamer named the Island Queen, both occurrences taking 
place in the waters of the State of Ohio. They then proceeded to within 
four miles of Sandusky, and not probably seeing signals that had been agreed 
upon, or receiving any assistance that was probably expected from Sandus- 
ky, returned to Detroit river and proceeded to Sandwich, C. W., where they 
plundered the steamer and cut her pij^es to sink her and abandoned her. 
The steamer was, however, recovered by her owners in a damaged condition, 
half full of water, and brought to this side of the river. 

It seems that my telegrams to Capt. Carter led to the arrest of Cole, who 
made some disclosures tliat caused the arrest of other parties in Sandusky, 
the 2">articulars of which will be doubtless communicated to the command- 
ing officer there. 

It was unfortunate that Capt. Carter did rot proceed to meet the Philo 
Parsons, as the whole party could have been captured ; but there have been 
so many rumors and reports here of rebel plots that it is hard to discrimi- 
nate between those having some reality and those purely fabrications. In 
this case had I placed soldiers on board, whom I could not spare at this 
time, or defend in any way the departure of the steamer, suspicions of the 
conspirators would have been aroused, and the matter deferred to a time 
when we would have had no intimation of it. As the case now stands, the 
rebel agent in Caiuida, residing in Sandwich, Colonel Jacob Thompson, has 
organized an expedition in Canada to seize American steamers. The steam- 
ers Philo Parsons and Island Queen were seized, and the latter sunk in 
American waters ; tlie Philo Parsons i)lundercd while lying in Briiisli wa- 
ters, off the town of Sandwich, an attempt made to sink her, and the persons 



230 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

employed in these acts now residing in Canada under the protection of the 
British Government. 

The United States attorney has addressed a communication to our consul 
at Windsor to call upon the authorities to arrest the persons committing 
these outrages, in anticipation of such a demand being made for their de- 
livery, and affidavits will be sent by him to the Secretary of State, and I 
had an interview this morning both with him and Senator Howard, and 
everything is being adopted to place the matter in proper legal shape before 
the Government and the British authorities. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

B. H. HILL, 
' Lieut. Col. U. S. Artillery, Commanding District, Michigan. 

Office Military Commander, District of Michigan, 
Detroit, September 22, 1864. 
Brigadier-General James B. Fry, 

Provost Marshal- General, Washington, D. C. : 

General : — I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of a report, 
with accompanying papers, made to the Assistant Adjutant-General of the 
Northern Department, in relation to the proposed attempt to capture the 
U. S, steamer Michigan and the late piratical acts of the rebel refugees in 
Canada. The information I communicated to Captain Carter, commanding 
U. S. steamer Michigan, doubtless led to the arrest of Cole and others and 
exploded the plot. 

The person who gave me the information writes me this morning from 
Windsor, and states that he has seen several of the parties connected in the 
raid, and among others Dr. Smith, who told him all connected with the 
affair. He learns that the person who was to have met them at Kelly Island 
failed to be there. 

This party was to have given the latest information and instructions. 
The steamer Philo Parsons went within two miles of the steamer ^Michigan, 
and it was seen with their night glasses that the Michigan had changed her 
position to one that commanded the whole island. My informant also writes 
me that he thinks Col. Jacob Thompson and the entire party engaged in 
seizing the Philo Parsons have left Windsor. 

The person who gave me the information states that he has been some 
years in the rebel army ; that he has been wounded three times, but that 
owing to injustice done him by JNIr. Benjamin, Acting Secretary of War, in 
not advancing him, he had left the South, and now entertains the most bit- 
ter hostility to the Southern cause. He gave me what he stated as his 
real name, and informed me that he had been a prominent politician in 
Arkansas and Kentucky, and had twice run for Congress. * * * 
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

B. H. HILL, 
Lieut. Col. U. S. A., A. A. P. M. General. 

The force in the State during the time of these threatened raids on which 
reliance was placed to defend its borders against any hostile demonstration 
consisted of six companies of the 2d regiment veteran reserve corps, three 
companies of State troops, the " Scott Guard," "Detroit Light Guard," and 
" Lyon Guard," with a section of light artillery, fully equipped and supplied 
with suitable ammunition; and in addition there were hve hundred stand 
of arms in the State Armory at Detroit, with complete equipments, and 
abundance of ammunition at all times in readiness for distribution to citi- 



THE MICHIGAN CONTINGENT. 231 

zens, with whom there was an understanding and an arrangement to assist 
in repelling any attack that might be made upon the city or along the river 
in the vicinity. There was also a small force guarding the arsenal at Dear- 
born, in which was stored about thirty-five thousand stand of arms. To 
guard against any attack or landing being made by steamers or vessels from 
the Canadian side with a hostile intention, several armed steam tugs were 
employed by the Government in patrolling the river at vai'ious points, 

THE MICHIGAN CONTINGENT. 

The Michigan "Contingent" in the war was largely made up of men 
who enlisted for three years, and were mainly from the more respectable 
and industrious of the connuunity. Leaving the peaceful avocations of 
civil life, these men were disciplined into soldiers and converted into 
heroes, sometimes even during the operations and emergencies of a single 
campaign. Patient and obedient under the most rigid discipline, persis- 
tent and enduring on the long and tedious march, cheerful and untiring in 
the trenches, apt in experiment, and most ingenious in construction, they 
added to all these qualifications and merits true courage in the field, while 
almost every important action has illustrated their heroism, and almost 
every battle-field is consecrated with their blood. Their services were 
eagerly sought for by all the best generals — whether to construct a defence, 
lead a " forlorn hope," or charge a battery. 

The armies of no other nation, even after many years of the training 
which war brings with it, have evinced so marvellous a developement of 
soldierly qualities as characterized the American troops during their com- 
paratively short term of service. The annals of the times will rear an 
imperishable monument to the patriotism of all the States which in the 
nation's peril gave their sons in the conflict, and the honor of one will be 
among the precious possessions of the others ; but it will be for Michigan 
to cherish with peculiar j)ride and tenderness the remembrance and the 
fame of the gallant baud of patriots who, in the fiercest struggles of mod- 
ern warfare, and among comrades of equal worth and bravery, while pre- 
serving the national life and integrity, have reflected undying lustre upon 
her own escutcheon. 

Scarcely had the rebel gauntlet been tossed in defiance, scarcely had the 
echo of the first rebel gun passed away, scarcely had the electric mes- 
senger done its momentous errand — proclaiming the fact of civil war, and 
that the flag of America had been insulted and struck from its proud 
perch on Sumter's walls, ere the men of Michigan were in arms, eager and 
ready to defend and maintain the National Union, and protect its flag, to 
uphold the honor of their State, and save their glorious birth-right of free- 
men. They vowed to God and their native land, and pledged their arms 
and their lives, that the beloved flag of their country should again wave 
triumphantly on the walls of Sumter, and over every State and inch of 
ground in the Union, and that the Republic should be saved and forever 
preserved. 

The call of Abraham Lincoln received a ready and substantial response 
from the people of INlichigan. With remarkable dispatch her gallant i-egi- 
ments armed, clothed, equipped, and fully appointed, left the State to meet 
the enemies of American liberty. 

Michigan troops, prompt and prominent at the outset of the rebellion, 
were also in at its death. They were among those who, under Wilcox, first 
crossed the Long Bridge into Virginia, and participated in the capture of 



232 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Alexandria. They were in the command of the brave and lamented 
Richardson, who first opened fire upon the rebels at Blackburn's Ford, on 
July 18, 1861, in the vicinity of Bull Pain. 

They were with General McClellan in AVest Virginia, in the first year 
of the war, and were in South Carolina and Georgia in 1862, and during 
that year served with the Army of the Potomac on the Peninsula and in 
Maryland, with General Banks in the Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia 
under General Burnside, in Louisiana under General Butler, and in Mis- 
souri with General Pope and Colonel Mulligan. 

In 1863 they bore a conspicuous and gallant part in the ever memorable 
campaigns under General Hooker, in Virginia, and General Meade, in 
Pennsylvania, at the defence of Knoxville by General Burnside, at the 
capture of Vicksburg by General Grant, and on the celebrated Kilpatrick 
raid against Richmi^nd. They were also engaged in the campaign of Gen- 
eral Rosecrans against Chattanooga, and Avere actively employed in the 
field at various points in Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Louisiana, 
under other generals. 

In 1864-5 they were with General Grant on his great march against 
Richmond, and bravely participated in most of the hard fought battles of 
that eventful campaign. They were also with General Sherman on his re- 
markable march from Chattanooga to the sea, and were prominently 
engaged in most of his memorable and successful battles, and with Gen- 
eral Sheridan in his matchless encounters with the enemy in the valley of 
the Shenandoah, Avhere, in command of Custer, their sabres flashed in 
every battle. They took part in the gallant defence of Nashville by 
General Thomas, and were with Generals Stoneman and Wilson on their 
raids into North Carolina and Georgia. They were also at the capture of 
Mobile, and served in Texas and Utah Territory during a part of 1865-6. 
Michigan was well represented in the Union armies at the surrender of 
Lee and Johnston, and a Michigan regiment captured the President of the 
so-called Confederacy — Jefferson Davis — in his inglorious flight to escape 
deserved punishment for his infamous treason and rebellion. 

Michigan troops, in all the campaigns and battles in which they partici- 
pated, were most reliable, conspicuously brave and gallant. In every 
position in which they were placed they were true, self-sacrificing, patient 
under hardship, murmuring not, meeting death by exposure, starvation, 
and cruel treatment in rebel prisons, and many more by rebel bullets in 
sanguinary strife. 

From the beginning of the war until its eud, the motto of Michigan sol- 
diers was, fight on until every rebel shall be conquered and made to yield 
obedience, or if needs be utterly destroyed. That motto they most success- 
fully maintained ; meeting the enemy on his last field, they, in common 
with their comrades of the Union army, compelled him to lay down his 
rebellious arms, to beg not only for quarter but for peace, and submit un- 
conditionally to the terms of their dictation. Having accomplished. that, 
they returned to their homes the preservers of their nation, receiving the 
plaudits and gratitude of their fellow countrymen, and of every friend of 
freedom and humanity throughout the civilized world. 

To have included in this volume the entire campaigns of these regiments, 
would have been a most desirable and pleasant labor, but would have en- 
grossed its whole space, and therefore has been abandoned, leaving a.sub- 
ject rich in record of faithful and gallant service and brave deeds for future 
publication, and giving only a few of the leading achievements of each. 
It would also have been very satisfactory to have referred to the special 



REGIMENT OF ENGINEERS AND MECHANICS. 233 

services and achievements of the many companies and men of Michigan, 
that were connected with regiments of other States, but not having any 
data from which to sketch them, the matter has been reluctantly deferred. 
Undoubtedly, they maintain the reputation of Michigan troops, which was 
always pre-eminently high. 

REGIMENT OF ENGINEERS AND MECHANICS. 

The celebrated regiment of Michigan engineers and mechanics was raised 
and organized under the supervision of Colonel William P. Innes, of Grand 
Rapids, and went to the field in Kentucky December 17th, 1861, in com- 
mand of that officer. It is but justice to this regiment to state a fact gen- 
erally conceded by the whole Western army that a more useful regiment, 
or one performing more valuable service, Avas not found in that great army, 
as during its entire service, ending with the surrender of Lee and Johnston, 
including the great Sherman campaign, scarcely a bridge was built or a 
road opened for the use of the Western army that was not either Avholly 
accomplished or aided by this regiment. While it was at all times ready 
and expeditious in the performance of the legitimate duties of an engineer 
regiment it never failed as a gallant fighting force when opportunity offered. 
Firet meeting the enemy at Mill Springs, in Kentucky, January 19th, 1862, 
then in Mississippi at Farmington May 9th, at Corinth the 10th, and at 
Perryville, Kentucky, same year, where'its reputation as a fighting regiment 
was fully established ; but at Lavergne, Tennessee, January 1st, 18()3, it was 
most signally distinguished, and its gallant conduct in that battle gives it a 
most enviable page in the history of the war. 

While General Rosecrans was fighting the important battle of Stone river, 
the regiment, then in command of Col. Innes, on the 31st December, 1862, 
was specially ordered by the commanding general to take a position in the 
rear of his army at Lavergne, on the main road from Nashville to Murf rees- 
boro, to i)rotect the baggage trains. On the next morning, for greater safety. 
Colonel Innes formed his wagon train in the form of a half circle and made 
some hastily-constructed breastworks of logs and such loose material as 
could be found at hand. This precaution seems to have been taken none 
too soon, as at 2 P. M. the comnumd was attacked by an overwhelming rebel 
force of from three to four thousand cavalry, with one section of light artil- 
lery, the whole commanded by the rebel IMajor-General Wheeler. Their 
object, as afterwards ascertained, was to 1 turn and ])lunderthe heavily-laden 
trains passing on the pike between Nashville and Rosecrans' army. Col. 
Innes and his small but gallant regiment, numbering not over 315, fought 
this superior force until dark, when it was withdrawn with heavy loss, hav- 
ing vainly endeavored to compel a surrender. During this five hours' en- 
gagement the enemy made seven separate and distinct charges, sometimes 
forcing their horses on to the very breastworks, which were as often most 
gallantly repelled ; at the same time their artillery was kept constantly in 
play, with considerable effect, damaging the wagons, killing sonie thirty or 
forty horses and mules attached to wagons both inside and outside the cir- 
cle. Three times Gen. Wheeler sent a flag of truce to Colonel Innes de- 
manding a surrender, and claiming an increase of his force, to which the 
colonel replied in a most characteristic manner " that he could not see it ;" 
so long as his ammunition held out he could not see the force of his argu- 
ment. 

A correspondent at the time says : " The scene was at times thrilling be- 
yond description. The rebel horde, exasperated at the successful resistance 

0* 



23-4 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

of the little force, dashed their horses against the circular brush fence, which 
was only breast high, with infuriated shouts and curses. But the Michigan 
troops were cool and determined; they loaded fast and aimed well, and, as 
the troopers rushed on upon all sides, they were met with staggering vollej's 
almost at the muzzle of the muskets. Horses and riders recoiled again and 
again until they despaired, and soon swept aAvay through the dense forests, 
leaving over fifty of their dead upon the field, which were buried by our 
forces. The ground all around that small circle of brush was strewn with 
dead horses of the rebel troopers, and with their clothing, guns, &c. Truly 
this was one of the most gallant afiairs of the campaign." 

Mr. Greeley, in his excellent Avork, " The American Conflict," notices Col. 
lunes' extraordinary defence at Lavergne, and says : 

" On the whole, the enemy's operations in the rear of our army during this 
memorable conflict, (battle of Stone river,) reflect no credit on the intelli- 
gence and energy with which they were resisted. * The silver lining to this 
cloud' is a most gallant defence made on the 1st January by Col. Innes' 
1st IMichigan engineers and mechanics, only 391 strong, who had taken post 
on high ground near Lavergne, and formed such a barricade of cedars, &c. 
as they hurriedly might. Here they were attacked, at 2 P. M., by Whar- 
ton's cavalry, whom they successfully resisted and beat oflT. Wharton's 
official rejiort is their best eulogium. He was in command of six or eight 
regiments. ' Wharton.' ' A regiment of infantry, under Colonel Dennis, 
(Innes,) also was stationed in a cedar brake and fortifications near this 
point. I caused the battery under Lieut. Pike, Avho acted with great gal- 
lantry, to open on it. The fire, at a range of not more than 400 yards, was 
kept up for more than an hour, and must have resulted in great damage to 
the enemy. I caused the enemy to be charged on three sides at the same 
time by Colonels Cox and . Smith and Lieut. Col. Malone, and the charge 
was repeated four times ; but the enemy was so strongly posted that it was 
found impossible to dislodge him.' " 

The regiment lost only two killed and twelve wounded, while the rebel 
loss, as estimated at the time, was something over a hundred in killed and 
wounded. 

General Rosecrans, in his official report, gave the regiment credit for hav- 
ing successfully repulsed ten times its own number on that occasion. 

During the residue of the year the regiment was actively employed in its 
ordinary duties, building bridges, re])airing railroads, &c., with its head- 
quarters in the neighborhood of Elk River Bridge. In the early part of 
1864 the regiment, in command of Col. John Yates, was with the advance 
of Sherman's army on Atlanta, and on the SOtli of September had its head- 
quarters there. On the 16th of November it marched from Atlanta as a 
part of the engineer force of General Sherman's army, performing Avith re- 
markable promptness its arduous and important duties on that great march. 
It is estimated that during that campaign, besides making and repairing a 
great distance of corduroy road, the regiment destroyed and twisted the 
rails of thirty miles of railroad tract and built eight or ten important bridges 
and crossings. At Edisto it constructed a bridge under a severe fire from 
the enemy's sharpshooters ; continuing its faithful and important services 
throughout the rest of the campaign and until the arrival of Slierman's army 
at Washington. Early in June it was ordered to Louisville, Kentucky, 
and thence to Nashville, where it was mustered out of service on the 22d 
of September. 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 235 

THE CAVALRY BRIGADE, 

Consisting op the 1st, 5tii, 6tii, and 7tii Regiments. 

The 1st regiment of cavalry was organized during the summer of 18G1, 
by Col. T. F. Brodhead, and left its rendezvous in Detroit on the 29th of 
September for Washington, in command of that officer. It lay in camp at 
Frederick, Md., a considerable portion of the -winter, and its principal ser- 
vice was on the upper Potomac, in the Shenandoah Valley, and near the 
eastern slopes of the lilue Ridge. It was in action at Winchester, JMarch 
28, 1862; at lAIiddletcwn, :\Iarch 25th ; at Strasburg, :March 27th ; at Har- 
risonburg, April 22(1 ; at Winchester again, IMay 24th ; at Orange Court- 
House, July 16th ; at Cedar Mountain, August 9th ; and at Bull Run, Au- 
gust 30th. At the latter action its commanding officer. Colonel Brodhead,* 
was mortally wounded, and died September 2d, and its casualties in that 
engagement showed 7 killed, 13 wounded, 7 prisoners, and 106 missing. 

During November and Deccndier following, and the early part of 1863, 
the regiment, in command of C^olonel Charles H. Town, was engaged on 
grand guard duty in front of the defences of Washington, on a line extend- 
ing from Edward's Ferry to the mouth of the Occoquan. 

During the raid about the Union lines, made by the rebel Gen. Stuart, 
in February, 1863, a detachment of fifty-six men of this regiment were sent 
out to watch his movements. Near Occoquan the enemy came in range of 
the carbines of this party, and fell back in confusion at the first fire. Dis- 
covering the weakness of the force opposed to them, the rebel cavalry recov- 
eretl and charged vigorously with a large force, before which the detach- 
ment retired, fighting from behind bushes, &c., during a pursuit of several 
miles, with a resulting loss to Stuart's troopers of fifteen in killed and 
wounded, and to themselves of none. On the 27th of June, the regiment 
took up its line of march northward in the Gettysburg campaign. 

The 5th cavalry was organized under the authority given by the War 
Department and the Governor to Cdlonol J. T. Copeland, then in the 1st 
cavalry. Its organization began in July, 1862, and it was mustered into 
service as a regiment on the 30th of August, at its rendezvous in Detroit. 
The regiment was subjected to a long delay in procuring its arms and equip- 
ments, and left the State only partly armed, but fully equipped, mounted, 
and clothed, on the 4th 6f December following, for Washington. A num- 
ber of men were lost by desertion previous to its departure, and its rolls 
show that down to that period it had carried the names of 1,305 officers and 
men. A battery of light artillery was raised in connection with this regi- 
ment, which was classed as the 9th Michigan battery, and originally known 
as Daniel's. This battery was afterwards designated as Battery " I," 1st 
Michigan light artillery. 

On Novemlier 29, 1862, Colonel Copeland was apjiointed a brigadier- 
general of volunteers, being succeeded in the command of the regiment by 
Colonel Freeman Norvell, who was promoted from lieutcnant-celonel on the 
:Ust of December. He served in command of the regiment in the field 
until the 27th of February following, when he resigned. JNIajor R. A. Alger, 

*Report of Mnjor Charles H. Town, commandinn; 1st Michigan: * * "Col- 
Thornton F. Brodheail, mo tally wounded at Bull Run, Va., August 30, 18G2, while gal- 
lantly leading his men to the charge." * * * * * 

While on his death-bed in the field, almost the last words to his attending surgeon 
were. "The Old Flag will triumjih yet." 

In his letter to his wife, he writes : •' I fought manfully and now die fearlessly." 



236 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

of the 2(1 cavalry, was commissioned as colonel on the 28t]i of the same 
mouth, and served in that capacity down to September 20, 1864, when, on 
account of ill health, he was compelled t(j resign. 

The 6th regiment of cavalry was organized at Grand Rapids, under au- 
thority granted to lion. F. W. Kellogg by the "War Department, sanctioned 
by the Governor. It was rapidly filled, and mustered into service on the 
13th of October, 1862, its rolls carrying the names of 1,229 officers and 
men. It left its rendezvous on the 10th of December following, in com- 
mand of Col. George Gray, taking the route to AVashington, fully mounted 
and equipped, but not armed. 

The 7th regiment of cavalry was also raised at Grand Rapids, under the 
same authority. Two battalions of this regiment left the State for Wash- 
ington on the 20th of February, 1863, and the remaining companies joined 
them in May following. The regiment entered the field in command of 
Col. W. D. Mann. 

These regiments served to the end of the war, bearing so important a part 
in the great struggle for union and freedom as to become eminently famous 
throughout the length and breadth of the land, as the " JNIichigan Cavalry 
Brigade." 

The 1st cavalry, while in command of Colonel Brodhead, served in the 
command of General Alpheus S. Williams, of Michigan, in 1862, and cov- 
ered the retreat of General Banks' army from the Shenandoah Valley, 
serving with much distinction, and rendering very important service in that 
affair, being continuously under fire. 

Following the surrender of Lee and Johnston, and consequent collapse 
of the Southern Confederacy, this brigade, which had served during the 
war with the Army of the Potomac, was sent West to St. Louis, Mo., 
thence to Fort Leavenworth, where the 5th cavalry were mustered out of 
service, except the men having two years or more to serve, and these were 
transferred to the 1st and 7th. The regiments then crossed the Plains to 
the Rocky Mountains, for the purpose of aiding in suppressing the war 
which was then being waged by several Indian tribes on citizens of the 
United States in the Territories of the far West. These orders caused 
much justifiable dissatisfaction in the brigade, indicating as they did the 
commencement of another arduous campaign, which, in consideration of 
past long and fiiithful services, they thought might have been spared them, 
especially as the campaign was for an object foreign to their contract of 
service. But remembering their noble record, and adhering to their uni- 
form high degree of discipline and subordination, and having in view the 
honor of a State whose troops had never disgraced it, obeyed the orders 
and crossed the plains. 

After reaching the Rocky Mountains, the men of these regiments, with 
certain exceptions, were, in violation of the orders of the AVar Department, 
consolidated into one regiment, designated as the 1st regiment Michigan 
veteran cavalry, f )ur companies of which were stationed at Fort Bridgcr 
and eight com])anies were sent forward to Camp Douglas, at Salt Lake 
City. The regiment garrisoned these two stations until March 10, 1866, 
when it was mustered out of service, paid off, and disbanded. 

Owing to gross injustice done these troops by the officers of the Govern- 
ment in Utah, in the settlement of their transportation account, the AVar 
Department was asked hj the State authorities to make certain additional 
allowance, which was refused, Avhon an appeal was made to Congress. The 
claim having been pn)mi)tly and properly presented, it was supported and 
insisted upon by the JMlchigan representatives of both Houses of Congress, 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 237 

then composed of Chandler and Howard in the Senate, and in the Honse, 
Beaman, Driggs, Ferry, Longyear, Trowbridge, and Upson, who, ever true 
to the interest of the soldier, determined that this claim should be secured 
and justice done, and therefore united their inllucnce and effort for that 
purpose, and with commendable zeal and great ability, together with close 
attention and much tact, procured an enactment for their relief. 

AVhile these ^Michigan troops Avere engaged in this service, Captain 
Osmer F. Cole, of the 6th cavalry, Avas killed in action with Indians at 
Tongue river, M. T., August 30, 1865. 

At the request of the Governor of the State, a special report was made 
by the Adjutant-General, covering the unlawful and unauthorized consoli- 
dation of the IMichigan cavalry brigade, consisting of the 1st, 6th, and 
7th regiments, into an organization to be known as the 1st regiment of 
Michigan cavalry, detailing the ill-treatment and injustice attending the 
detention in service and muster-out and payment of that regiment. On 
this report a claim was made to the War Department for an additional 
allowance of transportation. The claim was rejected on the gi'ound that 
the parties for whom the allowance Avas asked had already received from 
the Government all that existing law provided for in such cases. It there- 
fore became necessary to apply to Congress for special relief. Accordingly, 
the matter was referred to Senator Chandler for presentation to Congress, 
and which received at his hands the fullest attention, aided by Senator 
Howard and our members of Congrcss-r-Beaman, Ferry, Upson, Driggs, 
Trowbridge, and Longyear. These gentlemen, as before stated, properly 
concerned for, and true to the interest of the Michigan soldiers, by their con- 
certed action in Congress, ultimately succeeded in securing the passage of 
the following enactment, rendering the justice so essentially due to those 
who had never faltered in the .soldier's line of duty : 

''And be it further enacted, That there is hereby appropriated for the 
payment of the travelling expenses of the members of the 1st regiment of 
Michigan cavalry from the place in Utah Territory where they Avcre mus- 
tered out of service, in the year 1860, to the place of their enrollment, a 
sum sufficient to allow to each member S325, deducting therefrom the 
amount paid to each for commutation of travel, pay and subsistence, by 
the Government, Avhen thus mustered out, and that the accounts be settled 
and paid under the direction of the Secretary of War." 

The selection of special engagements in Avhich these regiments most dis- 
tinguished themselves respectively, has been abandoned, because of their 
services in the field being so united in the operations of the INIichigan cav- 
alry brigade. It has, therefore, been deemed best to take official reports 
of General Custer, covering certain movements, as illustrating more fully 
than any others on file the brilliant and important achievements of these 
gallant regiments during the rebellion. To these have been added extracts 
from reports of other officers, while in command of the brigade and of regi- 
ments respectively. 

Following is General Custer's report, made August 22, 1863, covering the 
operations of his cavalry during a portion of the battle of Gettysburg : 

" In compliance Avith instructions received from the headquarters of the 
3d division, I ha\'e the honor to submit the folloAving report of the part 
taken by my command in the engagements near Gettysburg, July 3, 1863: 

"At an early hour on the morning of the 3d, I received an order through 
a staff-officer of the brigadier-general commanding the division* to move at 
once my command, and folloAV the first brigade on the road leading from 
' Two Taverns' to Gettysburg. 



238 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

"Agreeably to the above instructions, my column was formed and moved 
out on the road designated, when a staff-officer of Brigadier-General Gregg, 
commanding 2d division, ordered me to take my command and place it in 
position on the pike leading from York to Gettysburg, which position formed 
the extreme right of our line of battle on that day. Upon arriving at the 
point designated, I immediately placed my command in position, facing to- 
wards Gettysburg. At the same time I caused reconnoisances to be made 
on my front, right, and rear, but failed to discover any considerable force 
of the enemy. Everything remained quiet till 10 A. M., when the enemy 
appeared on my right flank, and opened ujion me with a battery of six 
guns. Leaving two guns and a regiment to hold my first position and cover 
the road leading to Gettysburg, I shifted the remaining portion of my com- 
mand, forming a new line of battle at right angles to my former line. The 
enemy had obtained correct range of my new position, and were pouring 
solid shot and shell into my command with great accuracy. Placing two 
sections of battery M, 2d regular artillery, in position, I ordered them to 
silence the enemy's battery, which order, notwithstanding the superiority 
of the enemy's position, was successfully accomplished in a very short space 
of time. My line, as it then existed, was shaped like the letter L, the 
shorter branch formed one section of battery M, supported by four squad- 
rons of the 6th Michigan cavalry, faced toward Gettysburg, covering the 
Gettysburg pike ; the long branch, composed of the remaining two sections 
of battery M, 2d artillery, supported by a portion of the 6th Michigan cav- 
alry on the left and the 1st Michigan cavalry on the right, with the 7th 
Michigan cavalry still further to the right and in advance, was held in 
readiness to repel any attack the enemy might make coming on the Oxford 
road. The 5th Michigan cavalry was dismounted and ordered to take posi- 
tion in front of my centre and left. The 1st Michigan cavalry was held in 
a column of squadrons, to observe the movements of the enemy. I ordered 
fifty men to be sent one mile and a half on the Oxford road, while a detach- 
ment of equal size Avas sent one mile and a half on the road leading from 
Gettysburg to York, both the detachments being under the commancl of the 
gallant Major Webber, who, from time to time, kept me so well informed 
of the movements of the enemy that I was enabled to make my dispositions 
with complete success. At 12 o'clock an order was transmitted to me from 
the brigadier-general commanding the division, by one of his aids, directing 
me, upon being relieved by a brigade from the 2d division, to move with 
my command and form a junction with the 1st brigade on the extreme left. 
On the arrival of the brigade of the 2d division, conmianded by Col. Mcin- 
tosh, I prepared to execute the order. Before I had left my positi(^n Briga- 
dier-General Gregg, commanding the 2d division, arrived with his entire 
command. Learning the true condition of affairs in my front, and rightly 
conjecturing that the enemy was making his dispositions for vigorously 
attacking our position, Brigadier-General Gregg ordered me to remain in 
the position I then occupied. 

" The enemy was soon after reported to be advancing on my front. The 
detachment of fifty men sent on the Oxford road were driven in, and at the 
same time the enemy's lineof skirmishers, consisting of dismounted cavalry, 
appeared on the crest of the ridge of hills on my front. The line extended 
beyond my left. To repel their advance, I ordered the 5th Michigan cav- 
alry to a more advanced positi(m, with instructions to maintain their ground 
at all hazards. Cohmel Alger, commanding the 5th, assisted by Majors 
Trowbridge and Ferry, of the same regiment, made such admirable dispo- 
sition of their men behind fences and other defences as enabled them to 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 239 

successfully repel the repeated advance of a ^reatly superior force. I attri- 
buted their success in a great measure to the fact that this regiment is armed 
with the Spencer repeating rifle, Which in the hands of brave, determined 
men, like those composing the 5th Michigan cavalry, is, in my estimation, 
the most effective fire-arm that our cavalry can adopt. Colonel Alger held 
his ground until his men had exhausted their annnunition, when he was 
compelled to fall hack on the main body. The beginning of this movement 
was th(! signal for the enemy to charge, which they did with two regiments, 
mounted and dismounted. I at once ordered the 7th Michigan cavalry. 
Colonel jNIann, to charge the advancing column of the enemy. The ground 
over which we had to pass was very unfavorable for the nianoeuvering of 
cavalry, but, despite all obstacles, this regiment advanced boldly to the as- 
sault, which was executed in splendid style, the enemy lieing driven from 
field to field until our advance reached a high and unbroken fence, behind 
which the enemy were strongly posted. Nothing daunted, Colonel IMann, 
followed by the main body of his regiment, bravely rode up to the fence and 
discharged their revolvers in the very face of the foe. No troops could have 
maintained this position ; the 7th was, therefore, compelled to retire, fol- 
low^ed by twice the number of the enemy. By this time Colonel Alger, of 
the 5th jNIichigan cavalry, had succeeded in mounting a considerable por- 
tion of his regiment, and gallantly advanced to the assistance of the 7th, 
whose further pursuit by the enemy he checked. At the same time an en- 
tire brigade of the enemy's cavalry, consisting of four regiments, appeared 
just over the crest in our front. They were formed in column of regiments. 
To meet this overwhelming force I had but one available regiment — the 1st 
Blichigan cavalry, and the fire of battery M, 2d regular artillery. I at 
once oixlered the 1st to charge, but learned at the same moment that similar 
orders had been given by Brigadier-General Gregg. As before stated, the 
1st was formed incolumn of battalions. Upon receiving the order to charge, 
Colonel Town, ])lacing himself at the head of his command, ordered the 
' trot ' and sabres to he drawn. In this manner this gallant body of men 
advanced to the attack of a force outnumbering them five to one. In ad- 
dition to this numerical superiority, the enemy had the advantage of posi- 
tion and were exultant over the repulse of the 7th Michigan cavalry. All 
these facts considered, w'ould seem to render success on the part of the 1st 
impossible. Not so, however. Arriving within a few yards of the enemy's 
column the charge was ordered, and with a yell that spread terror before 
them, the 1st IMichigan cavalry, led by Colonel Town, rode upon the front 
rank of the enemy, sabering all who came wuthin reach. For a moment, but 
only a juoment, that long, heavy column stood its ground ; then, unable to 
Avithstand the impetuosity of our attack, it gave way into a disorderly rout, 
leaving vast numbers of their dead and wounded in our possession, while 
the 1st, being masters of the field, had the proud satisfaction of seeing the 
UTUch-vaunted ' chivalry,' led by their favorite commander, seek safety in 
headlong flight. I cannot find language to express my high appreciation 
of the gallantry and daring displayed by the officers and men of the 1st 
Michigan cavalry. They advanced to the charge of a vastly superior fu-ce 
with as much order and precision as if going upon parade ; and I challenge 
the annals of warfare to produce a more brilliant or successful charge of 
cavalry than the one just recounted. Nor must I forget to acknowledge the 
individual assistance rendered by battery M, 2d regimentof artillery, in this 
charge. Our success in driving the enemy from the field is due, in a great 
measure, to the highly efficient manner in which the battery was handled 
by Lieutenant A. C. M, Pennington, assisted by Lieutenants Clark, Wood- 



240 PIISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

ruff, and Hamiltou. The enemy made but slight demonstration against us 
during the remainder of tlie day, except in one instance he attempted to 
turn jny left flank, which attem})t was most gallantly met and successfully 
frustrated ))y Sec(jnd Lieutenant J.H. Kellogg, with company H,Gth INIich- 
igan cavalry. We held possession of the held until dark, during which time 
we collected our dead and wounded. At dark 1 returned with my com- 
mand to Two Taverns, where I encamped for the night. 

" In this engagement my command lost as follows : Nine officers and sixty- 
nine men killed, twenty-five officers and two hundred and seven men wound- 
ed, seven officers and two hundred and twenty-five men missing ; making a 
total of five hundred and forty-two. Among the killed I record the name 
of IMajor N. H. Ferry, of the 5th Michigan cavalry, who fell while heitjically 
cheering on his men. It would be impossible for me to particularize in those 
instances deserving special mention ; all, both men and officers, did their 
duty. There were many cases of personal heroism, but a list of their names 
would make my report too extended. To Colonel Town, commanding the 
1st Michigan cavalry, and to the officers and men of his regiment for the 
gallant manner in which they drove the enemy from the field, great praise 
is due. Colonel Mann, of the 7th Michigan cavalry, and Colonel Alger, of 
the 5th Michigan cavalry, as well as the officers and men of their commands, 
are entitled to much credit for their united efibrts in repelling the advance 
of the enemy. The 6th Michigan cavalry rendered very good service by 
guarding both my right and left flank ; also by supporting battery JNI under 
a very hot fire from the enemy's battery. Colonel Gray, commanding the 
regiment, was constantly seen wherever his presence was most needed, and 
is deserving of special mention. I desire to commend to your favorable no- 
tice Lieutenants Pennington, Clark, Woodruft', and Plamilton, of battery M, 
2d artillery, for the zeal and ability displayed by each on this' occasion. 
My thanks are j)ersonally due to the following named members of my staff, 
who, on many occasions, exhibited remarkable gallantry in transmitting 
and executing my orders on the field : 

" Captain G. A. Drew, 0th Michigan cavalry. Assistant Inspector General. 

" First Lieut. R. Baylis, 5th Michigan cavaliy, Acting Assistant Adju- 
tant General. 

" First Lieut. Wm. H. Wheeler, 1st Michigan cavalry, A. D. C. 

" First Lieut. Wm. Colerick, 1st Michigan cavalry, A. D. C. 

" I desire also to mention two of my buglers, Joseph Fought, company D, 
5th U. S. cavalry, and Peter Boehn, company B, 5th U. S. cavalry ; also 
Orderlies Norvall Churchill, company L, 1st Michigan cavalry, George L. 
Foster, company C, 1st Michigan cavalry, and Benjamin II. Butler, com- 
pany M, 1st Michigan cavalry." 

Following the battle of Gettysburg, these regiments were engaged with 
the enemy in Maryland during July at the following points : IMonterey 4th ; 
Cavetown 5th ; Smithtown, Boonsboro', Hagerstown, and Williamsport Gth ; 
Boonsboro' 8th ; Hagerstown and Williamsport 10th; Falling Waters 14th; 
and Snicker's Gap, Va., on the 19th. 

They were also engaged in Virginia at Kelly's Ford September 13th, at 
Culpepper Court-house September 14th, at Raccoon Ford September 16th, 
at White's Ford September 21st, and at Jack's Shop Sejitember 26th. 

At the second battle of Hagerstown, July 10th, 1863, the rebels becoming 
panic-stricken, abandoned their wagons, ammunition, arms, tents, and even 
provisions. Hundreds of them, fearing Kilpatrick's men, fled to the right 
and left to avoid their terrific charges, and subsequently surrendered them- 
selves. One strapping fellow surrendered to a little bugler who was attach- 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 241 

ed to General Custer's brigade. As he passed down tlie line, escorting his 
j)risoner, a Colt's revolver in hand, he called out : " I say, boys, what do 
you think of this fellow?" 

Report of Colonel C. H. Town, commanding 1st Michigan, covering a 
portion of the operations of his regiment around Gettysburg : 

* * * "We moved early on the morning of the 4th of July to 
Emmetsburg, thence to Monterey. Before reaching the latter place the 
enemy was discovered in force upon the hills to the right of the road. The 
regiment, being in advance of the column, was sent on a road leading to 
Fairfic^ld Gap. The enemy having possession of the gap, a charge was 
made by one squadnm, which, with the remainder of the regiment deployed 
as skirmishers, was successful in driving the enemy from the gap. The 
regiment hold the position until the entire column had passed, though the 
enemy made desperate efforts, with superior numbers, to drive us out. Our 
loss here was heavy. Captain "William R. Elliott, while bravely leading 
his company, was mortally wounded, and died the next morning, and 
Lieutenant James S. McElhenny, commanding company G, was killed in- 
stantly. 

" I must embrace the present opportunity to pay a parting tribute to the 
memory of the noble men whose names I liave above mentioned. Elliott 
and INIcElhcnny were, indeed, true types of the American soldier. They 
devoted their whole time to their duties, ever ready and fjiithful in their 
discharge. They died as the Union soldier loves to die — leading in the 
charge. 

"On the Gth of July the regiment was in support of a battery at Hagers- 
town, fortunately without loss. * * * * * 

"Permit me here to speak of the late Captain Charles I. Snyder, of this 
regiment, who was mortally wounded while gallantly leading a squadron 
of the 18th Pennsylvania cavalry, in the streets of Ilagerstown. He had 
been detailed for some days as an aid to General Kilpatrick, and was 
ordered by that officer to assist in the charge. Fearlessly he entered upon 
his duty, and nobly did he discharge it. INIeeting six sturdy Confederates, 
he engaged them single-handed, cutting three of them out of the saddle 
and putting the rest to flight, though he received the pistol shot which 
caused his death, and a sabre cut on the head as well, early in the melee. 
The memory of this brave and noble-hearted man will ever be cherished 
with brotherly fondness by the officers and men of the 1st Michigan cav- 

Captain Snyder died of his wounds at Ilagerstown, on July 1st, fol- 
lowing. 

The 1st cavalry lost at Gettysburg 80 men and 11 officers killed, wounded, 
and missing, out of 300. The 7th cavalry had 10 killed, 41 wounded, 12 
missing, and 12 prisoners. Casualties of 5th and 0th are not reported. 

General Kilpatrick, in his report, referring to the engagement at Falling 
Waters, July 14, 1803, says : 

* * * " The enemy was, when first seen, in two lines of battle, with 
arms stacked, within less than one thousand yards of the large force. A 
portion of the Gth Michigan cavalry, seeing only that part of the enemy 
behind the earthworks, charged. This charge was led by Major Webber, 
and was the most gallant ever made. At a trot they passed up the hill, 
received the fire from the whole line, and the next moment rode through 
and over the earthworks, sabering the rebels along the entire line, and re- 
turned with a loss of thirty killed, wounded, and missing, including the 
gallant Major Webber, killed." ***** 

P 



242 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Captain David G. Royce and Lieutenant Charles E. Bolza, 6tli Michi- 
gan, were killed in this action, Lieutenant Bolza in the charge, and Captain 
Royce in action succeeding it. 

Report of Colonel R. A. Alger, commanding 5th Michigan, in Avhich he 
refers to the services of his regiment at Gettysburg, says : 

* * * "The 5th has won an enviable reputation. Every moment 
brings a sad gloom over all our hearts for the noble Ferry. He Avas in- 
stantly shot through the head, while leading his battalion at Gettysburg. 
He was a brave officer. I cannot supply his place." 

Note. — A correspondent says of the cavalry on the Gettysburg campaign: "In six- 
teen days, one division of onr cavalry has had fifteen battles, with infantry, in nearly all 
to contend against, captured and destroyed nearly or quite one thousand loaded wagons 
and between three and four thousand horses and mules ; taken between four and five 
thousand rebel prisoners, destroyed on^-half of the rebel General Stuart's cava! rj' force, 
and so demoralized the balance, that when a green (or blue) militia regiment, (the 
Philadelphia Blues,) with a regiment of Green Mountain Boys, attacked them while 
posted behind earth-works at Hagerstown, the whole command fled panic-stricken — or 
at Williamsport, where Custer's brigade of Michiganders, with Pennington's battery, 
captured more than man for man, fiom an enemy wliose force consisted of four times 
their numbers, and strongly located behind earth-works. This is cavalry fighting, the 
superior of which the world never saw. The cavalry also contributed largely to the 
success of our arms at Gettysburg." 

The same correspondent in noticing the engagement at Falling Waters, which imme- 
diately followed Gettysburg, says : " Hearing that a force had marched towards Falling 
Waters, General Kilpatrick ordered an advance to that place. Through Some mistake, 
only one brigade, that of General Custer's, obeyed the order. When within less than a 
mile of Falling Waters, four brigades were found in line of battle, in a very strong posi- 
tion, and behind half a dozen Eleventh-Corps or crescent-shaped earth-walls. The 
6ih Michigan cavalry was in advance. They did not wait for orders, but a squadron, 
companies D and C, under Captain Royce (who was killed,) and Captain Armstrong, 
were deployed as skirmishers, while companies B and F, led by Major Webber, (who 
was killed,) made the charge. The line of skirmishers was forced back several times, 
but the men rallied promptly, and finally drove the enemy behind the works. A charge 
was then made, the squadron passing between the earth-works. So sudden and spirited 
was the dash, and so demoralized were the enemy, that the first brigade surrendered 
without firing a shot. The charging squadron moved directly on, and engaged the 
second brigade, when the brigade that had surrendered seized their guns, and then 
commenced a fearful struggle. Of the one hundred who made the charge, only thirty 
escaped uninjured; seven of their horses lay dead within tlie enemy's works." 

A correspondent says of the cavalry on the right of our army at Gettysburg, and who 
noticed a charge of the 7th cavalry : " But little has been said of the part taken by the 
cavaby on the right at Gettysburg, Friday, July 3d. General Gregg's division, assist- 
ed by General Custer's brigade, of General Kilpatrick's division, rendered an important 
service here. The enemy seemed determined to capture our batteries and turn the 
flank. The movement was only prevented through the stubborn bravery of the troops. 
The '7th Michigan, a new regiment, charged up to a stone wall under a front and Hank 
fire from a concealed enemy, charging in column by company, closed en masse. When 
the first company reached the wall, and was brought to a sudden stand, the balance 
of the column, being in a very e.'iposed position, was thrown into some confusion. The 
regiment was recalled, wheu the 1st Michigan, Colonel Town, made a more successful 
charge." 

In a report of Col. Alger commanding 5th cavalry, is found the following : "At 3 A. 
M. on the Ist of September, 1863, we moved towards Port Conway, arriving there at 2 
P. M. The enemy's pickets and skirmishers were driven across the river, and the regi- 
ment advanced to the bank, exposed to a severe fire from the enemy's artillery, which 
was in position on the south side of the Rappahannock. Two gunboats and some sup- 
plies were destroyed and we moved back, returning to camp on the following day ; 
Lieut. P. S. Leggett, a gallant young officer, was killed. He was serving on the staff 
of Gen. Kilpatrick, and is mentioned in the oflicial report of that officer, as *a young 
man of great daring, perseverance and energy,' and was on several occasions sent by 
the General inside of the enemy's lines, and succeeded in gaining much information in 
regard to their strength, position, &c." 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 243 

Under (late of October 24, 1803, covering- operations of liis cavalry during 
that month, General Custer in his report says: 

"In corapliaucc with instructions received from the general commanding 
the division, I have the honor to submit the following report of the oj)era- 
tions of my command from October 9th to October 23d, 1863: 

" On the night of October 9th, my picket line, Avhich extended along the 
north bank of Robertson rhor in the vicinity of James city, was attacked, 
and a portion of the line forced back upon the reserves; at the same time 
my scouts informed me that the enemy was moving in heavy column toward 
my right ; this report was confirmed by deserters. In anticipation of an 
attack by the enemy at daybreak, T oixlered my entire command to be 
saddled at 3 A. M., on the 10th. At daylight the enemy began by cau- 
tiously feeling my lino ; but seeing his inability to surprise us, he contented 
himself with obtaining possession of Cedar Mountain, which point he after- 
w-ards used as a signal station. At 1 P. INI. I received orders from the gen- 
eral commanding the division to report with my command at James City. 
Tiio head of my column arrived in the vicinity of that point at 3 P. i\I. 
The enemy had already obtained possession of the town, and had brought 
several guns to bear upon the position I was ordered to take. Battery M, 
2(1 U. S. artillery, under command of Lieutenant Pennington, was unlim- 
bered, and succeeded in shelling the enemy out of the woods on the right 
of the town. At the same time. Colonel Alger, of the 5th jNIichigan cavalry, 
who held the extreme left of my line, moved forward with one l)attalion of 
his regiment, under the gallant INIajor Clark, and charged the battery. The 
charge, although daring in the extreme, ftxiled for want of sufficient sup- 
port. It was successful so far, lunvever, as to compel the enemy to shift the 
])osition of his battery to a more retired point. Night setting in prevented 
us from improving the advantage we had gained. Most of my command 
rested on their arms during the night. Early in the morning I retired on 
the road leading to Culpepper, which point I reached without molestation 
from the enemy. It Avas not until the rear of my column was lea\'irig the 
town that the enemy made his appearance, and attempted unsuccessfully 
to harass my rear guard. On the hills north of the town I placed my com- 
mand in position to receive an attack. The enemy not feeling disposed to 
accept the invitation, I retired on the road leading to Rappahannock Sta- 
tion. ]\[y column had scarcely begun to march before the officer command- 
ing the rear guard, Colonel Mann, of the 7th Michigan cavalry, reported 
the enemy to be pressing him closely. At the same time a strong column 
was seen on my outer flank, evidently attempting to intercept our line of 
march to the river. The vigorous attacks now being made upon my rear 
guard compelled me to place my battery at the head of the column, and to 
empl<»y my entire force to keep the enemy from my guns. My advance 
had rea(died the vicinity of Brandy Station, when a courier hastened back, 
with the information that a brigade of the enemy's cavalry was in position 
directly in my front, thus cutting us completely off from the river. Upon 
examination, I learned the correctness of the report. The heavy masses of 
the rebel cavalry could be seen covering the heights in front of my advance. 
AVhen it is remembered that my rear guard was hotly engaged w'ith a supe- 
rior force, a heavy column enveloping each flank, and my advance con- 
fronted by more than double my own number, the perils of my situation 
can be estimated. Lieutenant Pennington at once placed his battery in 
position, and opened a brisk fire, which was responded to by the guns of the 
enemy. The majiu'-general commanding the cavalry corps at this nK^ment 
rode to the advance. To him I proposed, with my command, to cut through 



244 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

the force on my front, and thus open a way for the entire command to the 
river. 

" My proposition was approved, and I received orders to take my avail- 
able force and push forward, leaving the 6th and 7th INIichigan cavalry to 
hold the force in rear in check. I formed the 5th Michigan cavalry on my 
rii.lit, in column of battalions; on my left I formed the 1st Michigan in 
coiunm of squadrons. After ordering them to draw their sabres, I informed 
them that we were surrounded, and all we had to do was to open a way 
Avith our sabres. They showed their detci'mination and purpose by givhig 
three hearty cheers. At this moment the band struck up the inspiring air 
'Yankee Doodle,' which excited the enthusiasm of the entire command to 
the highest pitch, and made each individual member feel as if he was a 
host in himself Simultaneously both regiments moved forward to the 
attack. It required but a glance at the countenances of the men to enable 
me to read the settled determination with which they undertook the Avork 
before them. The enemy, without waiting to receive the onset, broke in 
disorder and fled. After a series of brilliant charges, during which the 
enemy suffered heavily, we succeeded in reaching the river, which we crossed 
in good order. From the 11th to the 15th instant my command was em- 
ployed in picketing and guarding the flank and rear of the army. On the 
afternoon of the 15th, the brigade being posted on BullKun battle ground, 
I detailed Major Kidd with his regiment, the 6th IMichigan cavalry, to re- 
connoitre the position and strength of the enemy in the vicinity of Gaines- 
ville. The reconnoisance was entirely satisfactory, and showed the enemy 
to be in considei'able force at that point. Sunday, the 18th instant, at three 
P. M., the entire division was ordered to move on the pike leading from 
Groveton to Warrenton. The 1st brigade moved on the pike, the 2d moved 
on a road to the left of, and parallel to the pike, but soon encountered the 
enemy, and drove him as far as Gainesville, where the entire command 
bivouacked during the night. The 1st Vermont cavalry, under Colonel 
Sawyer, deserves great credit for the rapidity with which they forced the 
enemy to retire. At daybreak on the morning of the 19th my brigade 
took the advance, and skirmished with the enemy's cavalry from Gaines- 
ville to Buckland ; at the latter point I found him strongly posted upon 
the south bank of Broad Run. The position for his artillery Avas well 
chosen. After a fruitless attempt to effect a crossing in his front, I suc- 
ceeded in turning his left flank so completely as to force him from his 
position. Having driven him more than a mile from the stream, I threw 
out my pickets and ordered my men to prepare their dinner. From the 
inhabitants of Buckland I learned that the forces of the enemy with whom 
Ave had been engaged Avere commanded by CJcneral J. E. B. Stuart in per- 
son, Avho, at the time of our arrival at that point, Avas seated at the dinner- 
table eating, but, OAving to my successful advance, he Avas cora]x>lled to 
leave his dinner untouched — a circumstance not regretted by that portion 
of my command into Avhose hands it fell. The 1st brigade took tlie ad- 
vance. At this point I Avas preparing to follow, Avhen information reached 
me that the enemy Avas advancing on my left from the direction of Green- 
wich. I had scarcely time to place my command in position to resist an 
attack from that direction before the enemy's skirmishers appeared. Pen- 
nington's battery opened iipon them, Avhile the 6th Michigan cavalry, under 
Major Kidd, Avas thioAvn forAvard and deployed as skirmishers. One gun 
of Pennington's battery, supported by the 1st Vermont cavalry, Avas placed 
on my extreme left. The 1st Blichigan cavalry, under ]\fajor Brewer, 
acted as a reserve, and as a support for the remaining five guns of the bat- 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 245 

tery. The 7th Michigan cavalry, under Colonel Mann, were engaged in 
the woods on my right. At first I was under the impression that the skir- 
mishers were composed of dismounted cavalry, but later developments 
convinced me that it was a very superior force of infantry that now con- 
fronted me. After completing his disposition for attack, the enemy ad- 
vanced upon me. In doing so he exposed a line of infantry of more than 
a mile in extent. At the same time he opened a heavy fire upon mc from 
his artillery. Pennington's battery, aided by the 6th INIichigan cavalry, 
poured a destructive fire upon the enemy as he advanced, but failed to 
force him back. A desperate effort was made to capture my battery. 
Pennington contiimed to fire until the enemy was within twenty yards of 
his guns. He was then compelled to limber up and retire to the north 
bank of Broad Run. The other portions of the command followed. The 
1st Michigan cavalry was intrusted with the duty of covering the move- 
ment — a task which was gallantly perfbrjned. ]\Iy command being very 
exhausted, I retired to the vicinity of Gainesville, where I encamped for 
the night. IMajor Clark, 5tli INIic-higan cavalry, was detached with his 
regiment with one battalion. When the command retired to the north 
bank of Broad Run, he, with a small portion of his battalion, became sep- 
arated from the rest of the command, and were captured by the enemy. 
Computing my losses from the 9th instant, I find them to be as follows : 
Nine men killed, two officers and forty-one men wounded, eight officers and 
one hundred and fifty -four men missing. , 

" Before closing my report, I desire to make honorable mention of the 
highly creditable manner in which both officers and men of my command 
have discharged their duty during the long and ax'duous marches as well as 
the hard-fought engagements of the past few days. Too much praise cannot 
be given to the officers and men of battery ]M, '2d artillery, for the gallantry 
displayed on inore than one occasion. For the untiring zeal and energy, 
added to the unflinching bravery displayed in transmitting and executing 
my orders upon the field, my acknowledgments are due to the following 
members of my staff: Captain R. F. Judson, A. I). C. ; Lieut. R. Bayless, 
A. A. D. C. ; Lieut. William Colerick, A. D. C. ; and to Lieutenant E. G. 
Granger, A. A. A. G. Lieut. Granger, while leading a charge at Brandy 
Station, had his horse shot in two places. Surgecm Wooster, of my staff, in 
addition to his professional duties, rendered me valuable assistance by aid- 
ing in transmitting my orders." 

Lieut. George W. Robinson, 1st cavalry, Avas killed in action October 
21st, 1864. 

After the severe engagement at Buckland's Mills on November 19th, the 
regiments met the enemy on the 26th at iSIorton's Ford. 

On the 28th of February, 1864, the brigade broke camp at Stevensburg, 
Virginia, and started on the cavalry raid to Richmond under General Kil- 
patrick. 

Following is an extract from a report of the officer in command of the 5th 
iMichigan regarding the part taken by his regiment in that affair: 

" Taking part in the raid made by the cavalry under Gen. Kilpatrick to 
the outer defences of Richmond, the main body of the regiment crossed the 
Rapi<lan, and moving via Spotsylvania and Beaver Dam Station to Hun- 
gary Station, and thence down the Brook Turnpike to within five miles of 
the city of Richmond. Being here attacked, ]March 2d, by a large body 
of the enemy's forces the Union cavalry were obliged to retire. The main 
body of the regiment joined Gen. Butler's forces at New Kent C. IL A 
detachment of the regiment had accompanied the force under Colonel Ulric 



246 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Dahlgren, taarchiug via Frederick's Hall Station to Dover's Mill, twelve 
miles above llichmoud, on the James river, "where it arrived on the 2d of 
March. The command then moved doAvn to -within five miles of Richmond, 
the detachment being in the advance and charging the enemy's lines near 
the city drove them from their first line of fortifications. Following up the 
movement, the command drove the enemy from one line to another until a 
point was reached within two miles of the city, when it was found impossi- 
ble to advance further with so small a force. Retreating from in front of 
the city the command endeavored to force its way to the Union forces be- 
yond the Chickahominy. The detachment of the 5th, with another portion 
of the command became separated in the night, Avhich was cold, rainy, and 
very dark, from the main body under Dahlgren. Although attacked by 
the rebels, who were posted in strong force near Old Church, they succeeded 
in cutting their way through and in joining the regiment near White House 
Landing on the following day. At Yorktown, on the 11th, the regiment 
embarked on transports for Alexandria, whence it moved to Stevensburg, 
where it arrived April 18th." 

The commanding officer of the 6th Michigan says of his regiment in the 
same affair : 

" On the 28th of February, leaving camp at Stevensburg, it started on 
the cavalry raid to Richmond under General Kilpatrick. Its division being 
attacked near ]\Iechanicsville on the night of the 2d of IMarch it was obliged 
to retire, a portion of the 6th cavalry forming a part of the rear guard. 
Having succeeded in joining the forces at New Kent Court-house, the regi- 
ment moved down the Peninsula, and, embarking on transports, proceeded 
to Alexandria, whence it returned to its former camp at Stevensburg." 

In the report of the 7th cavalry is found the following: 

"This regiment, on the 7th of IS'ovember, 1863, joined the advance of the 
Army of the Potomac toward the Rappahannock. On the morning of the 
26th it crossed the enemy's rifle-pits near INIorton's Ford, and moving for- 
ward captured prisoners from the rear of the rebel column. It was em- 
ployed on picket duty until the 28th of February, when it started on the 
' Kilpatrick raid.' On the afternoon of the 29th it arrived at Beaver Dam 
Stati(jn, on the Virginia Central Railroad, after a twenty hours' march, and 
assisted in burning the station and destroying the track. Resuming the 
march, it arrived before Richmond on the afternoon of the next day, and 
while on picket during the night was attacked by a superior force. After 
a desperate fight, being unsupported, it was obliged to retire, with a loss in 
missing of forty-four, among whom was its commanding oflicer, Lieut. Col. xV. 
C. Litchfield, who was taken prisoner. Plaving reached Yorktown, the com- 
mand moved from thence to Alexandria by transports, and marched to its 
former camp near Stevensburg." 

Entering the campaign of 1864, the brigade crossed the Rapidan on the 
5th of May with the Army of the Potomac. 

The 1st cavalry, being absent from the field in IMichigan on veteran fur- 
lough, did not participate in the " Kilpatrick raid," but returned in time 
to enter on the great campaign of 1864 under General Grant. 

General Custer, in a rei)ort dated July 4, 1864, covering the operations 
of his command in that campaign, says : 

"In obedience to the instructions of the general commanding the divi- 
sion, I have the honor to subniit the following report of the o])erati(nis of 
this brigade from May 4th to June oOth. On the 4tli of ]\Iay this bi-igado 
left camp near Culpepper and marched to Stony IMountain, where it en- 
camped during the uight, picketing from the Mountain to the Rapidan. 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 247 

At 3 o'clock on the following morning the march was resumed in the direc- 
tion of Gcrraania Ford ; the point of crossing was afterwards changed to 
Ely's Ford, from which point W'e moved to Chancellorsville, and encamped 
about one mile beyond on the Fredericksburg plank road. At 2 o'clock 
on the morning of the Bth, we moved by the Furnace road to its intersection 
with the Brock pike, taking a position to hold the intersection. Communica- 
tunx was also opened with General Gregg's division, which was then at 
Todd's Tavern. While in position at the cross-roads, an order was received 
from the division connnander, directing rae to take the 1st and 2d brigades 
and move out on the Brock pike for thic purpose of harassing Longstreet's 
corps, which was reported to be moving on Hancock's left flank. Before 
the order could be executed, my pickets on the Ijrock pike, under Captain 
Maxwell, 1st IMichigan, were driven in, and a large force of the eneiiiy't; 
cavalry appeared on my front. Most of my command were concealed by 
the woods, only the pickets and reserve being visible to the enemy. This 
iact induced the enemy to charge; but the 1st Michigan, under Lieutenant- 
Colonel Stagg, charged the enemy's advancing column and repulsed him 
handsomely, killing and wounding a large number of the enemy. My 
entire line was then thrown forward and advantageously posted in a i-avine 
fronting an extended open country. The enemy nuide repeated and des- 
l)erate efforts to drive inc from this position, but was defeated each time 
with heavy loss. Failing to dislodge me by attacking my front, he moved 
a heavy force of dismounted men through the woods on my right, intending 
to turn my right flank and gain possession of the Furnace road in my rear. 
Discovering this movement, I sent the 5th IMichigan cavalry. Colonel Alger 
commanding, and the Gth IMichigan cavalry. Major Kidd 'commanding, to 
check the advance of the enemy, and if possible drive him to the o])en 
country beyond. About this time, Colonel Dcvin reported to me with the 
2d brigade. A section of artillery, sent to me by General Gregg, also ar- 
rived. Eight guns were placed in a favorable position for silencing the 
guns of the enemy. I directed Colonel Devin to support the battery placed 
in position with one of his regiments. The 17th Pennsylvania was sent, dis- 
mounted, into the woods on my right, to reinforce the d\\i and Gth IMichigan 
cavalry, which at this time were hard pressed by the enemy. With the 
remaining portion of his command, Colonel Devin was instructed to protect 
and to hold the left flank. When these dispositions were completed, I 
ordered the battery of eight guns to fire as rapidly as they could be loaded 
and aimed, while the three regiments dismounted on my right were ordered 
to advance. Captain Maxwell, 1st Michigan, with one squadron, charged 
the enemy in front. The enemy, after contesting the ground obstinately, 
were driven from the field in great disorder, leaving his dead and many of 
his wounded upon the ground. We also captured a considerable nundjer 
of prisoners, who informed us that we had been engaged with Fitz Hugh 
Lee's division of cavalry. Orders having been received not to pursue the 
enemy beyond this point, we remained on the field until near night, estab- 
lishing communication in the meanwhile with the left of the 2d corps. Just 
before dark, I received orders to withdraw my command and encamp near 
the Furnace. On the morning of the 7th, we reoceupied the ground we 
held the day before. Upon arriving at the intersection of the Furnace road 
and Brock pike, the 1st IMichigan was thrown forward to hold the road 
leading to Todd's Tavern. The enemy were encountered in heavy force 
about three-fourths of a mile beyond the cross-roads. A portion of the 1st 
Michigan was dismounted, and advanced through the woods on both sides 
of the road, while the remainder of the regiment, under Captain Brcvoort, 



248 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURLNG THE REBELLION. 

moved up the road mounted. After a short but severe engagement, the 
enemy was driven back towards Todd's Tavern, which point was soon after 
occupied by our forces under General Gregg, whose right flank connected 
with my left. But little fighting occurred en my front durmg the remainder 
of that day. On the 8th, we moved from Todd's Tavern to ' Silver,' a point 
on the Fredericksburg plank road, where the entire corps was massed. At 
daylight, on the morning of the 9th, the corps started on the ' Richmond 
raid,' this brigade being in the advance. After a short halt at Chiklsbury, 
where the division was massed, we moved on the road leading to Beaver 
Dam Station, on the Virginia Central railroad. Just before reaching the 
North Anna river, the advance guard reported a train of the enemy's am- 
bulances to be in sight. Major Brewer, of the 1st Michigan cavalry, with 
one battalion of his regiment, was ordered to push forward and capture 
them ; after which he was to move rapidly on Beaver Dam Station, the re- 
mainder of the brigade to follow closely in support. Before reaching the 
station, the advance encountered a considerable force of the enemy, con- 
ducting upwards of four hundred Union prisoners to Richmond. JMajor 
Brewer gallantly charged the enemy, and succeeded in recapturing all our 
men and quite a number of their captors. Among the recaptured men of 
our army was one colonel, two lieutenant-colonels, and a considerable num- 
ber of captains and lieutenants, all belonging to infantry regiments, and 
having been captured during the battles of the Wilderness. Pressing on, 
we obtained possession of Beaver Dam Station, where we captured three 
trains and two first-class locomotives. The trains were heavily laden with 
supplies for the army. In addition, we captured an immense amount of 
army supplies, consisting of bacon, flour, meal, sugar, molasses, liquors, and 
medical stores; also several hundred stand of arms, and a large number of 
hospital tents, the whole amounting to several millions of dollars. 

After supplying my command with all the rations they could transport, 
I caused the remainder to be burned. I also caused the railroad track to 
be destroyed for a considerable distance. The enemy made fi'equent 
attempts during the night to drive me from the station, but were unsuc- 
cessful. On the following day this command moved with the corps to the 
south bank of the South Anna, crossing at Ground Squirrel Bridge. On 
the 11th the enemy's cavalry, under ^lajor-General J. E. B. Stuart, was 
met at Yellow Tavern, near the intersection of the telegraph road and 
Brock Pike. The 2d and reserve brigades were first engaged ; afterwards 
the brigade was thrown in on the left of the reserve brigade, connecting on 
my left with the right of the od division. The enemy was strongly posted 
on a bluff in rear of a thin skirt of woods, his battery being concealed from 
our view by the woods, while they had obtained a perfect range of my 
position. The edge of the woods nearest to my front was held by the 
enemy's dismounted men, who poured a heavy fire into my lines. The 5th 
and Gth ^lichigan were ordered to dismount and drive the enemy from his 
position, which they did in the most gallant manner, led by Colonel Alger, 
of the 5th, and ]\I;ijor Ividd, of the 0th. Upon reaching the woods I di- 
rected Colonel Alger to establish the 5tli and Gth ui)ou a line near 
the skirts of the W(W(ls, and hold his position until further orders. 
From a personal examination of the ground, I discovered that a successful 
charge might be made upon the battery of the enemy by keeping well to 
the ught. With this intention 1 formed the 1st jMichigan cavalry in column 
of squadrons under CDver of the woods. At the same time I directed 
Colonel Alger and jNIajor Kidd to move the otii and (itli ^lichigan cavalry 
forward and occupy the attention of the enemy on the left, lleaton's bat- 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 249 

tery to engage them in front, while the 1st charged the battery on the 
flank. The bugle sounded the advance, and the three regiments moved 
forward. As soon as the 1st jNIichigan moved from the cover of the woods 
the enemy divined our intention, and o])encd a brisk fire from his artillery 
with shell and canister. Before the battery of the enemy could be reached 
there were five fences to be opened and a bridge to cross over, which it was 
impossible to ])ass more than three at one time, the intervening ground 
being within close range of the enemy's battery. Yet notwithstanding 
these obstacles, the 1st iNIichigan, Lieutenant-Colonel Stagg commanding, 
advanced boldly to the charge, and when within two hundred yards of the 
battery, charged it with a yell which spread terror before them. Two 
pieces of cannon, two limbers filled Avith ammunition, and a large number 
of prisoners were among the results of this charge. While it is ini])ossible 
to mention all the names of the oflicers of tlie 1st Michigan who dis- 
tinguished themselves by their gallantry in this charge, I cannot forbear 
from referring specially to the conduct of IMnjor Howrigan, of this regi- 
ment, whose bravery on this occasion rendered him conspicuous. He was 
the first to reach the rebel battery, and in doing so received a wound in 
the arm. Lieutenant-Colonel Stagg, who commanded the 1st Michigan in 
the charge, with the officers and men of his command, deserve great credit 
for the (laring manner in which the rebel battery was taken. The assist- 
ance of the 5th and 6th JMichigan cavalry, by engaging the enemy in front, 
was also most important. After the enemy was driven aci'oss a deep 
ravine, about a quarter of a mile beyond the position held by his battery, 
he rallied and reformed his forces, and resisted successfully the further 
advance of the 1st IVIichigan. The 7th ^lichigan, commanded by Major 
Granger, was ordered forward at a trot, and wIumi near the enemy's posi- 
tion, was ordered to charge with drawn sabres. IMajor Gi'anger, like a true 
soldier, placed himself at the head of his men, and led them up to the very 
muzzles of the enemy's guns; but, notwithstanding the heroic efforts of this 
gallant officer, the enemy held their position, and the 7th IMichigan was 
compelled to retire; but not until the chivalric Granger had fallen, pierced 
through the head and heart by the bullets of the enemy. He fell, as the 

Note. — The regiment had charged through and driven the enemy out of the first line 
of woods near "Yellow Tavern," and had reached an open space, when the command 
was given to cease firing ; just at that instant a rebel ofliccr, who afterwards proved to 
be General J. E. B. Stuart, rode up with his staff to within about eighty rods of our 
line, when a shot was fired by a man of the 51,li. John A. Huff of company E, remarked 
to him : " Tom, you shot too low, and to the left;" then turning round to Col. Alger 
who was near, he said : " Colonel, I can fetch that man." The Colonel replied, " Try 
him." Me took deliberate aim across a fence and fired — the officer fell. Huff turned 
round to the Colonel and coolly said : "There's a spread eagle for you." 

Huff had won the first prize for shooting while serving in Berdan's Sharpshooters, 
and WHS a most remarkable shot. He was from Macomb county, Mich., and died June 
23d, 1804, of wounds received in action at Cold Harbor on tho first of that month. 

Pollard, in his " Lost Cause," says of the death of General J. E. B. Sumrt : "An ex- 
pedition of Federal cavalry, commanded by General Sheridan, was directed to make a 
bold dash around Lee's flank towards Richmond. It passed around the right flank of 
the Confederates to the North Anna river ; committed some damage at Beaver Dam ; 
moved thence to the South Anna and Ashland Station, where the railroad was de- 
stroyed ; and finally found its way to the James river, where it joined the forces of 
Butler. On the 10th May, a portion of Slieridan's command under Custer and Merrill, 
were encountered by a body of Stuart's cavalry near .\sl)land, at a place called Yellow 
Tavern, on the road to Richmond. An engagement took place here. In a desperate 
charge, at the head of a column, Gen. Stuart fell, terribly wounded. He was imme- 
diately taken to Richmond, and every effort made to save his valuable life, but iu vain ; 
be died the next day." 

P* 



250 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

warrior loves to fall, with his face to the foe. The united efforts of the 1st, 
5th, 6th, and 7th, assisted l)y Keaton's battery, and the 1st Vermont, under 
the gallant Colonel Preston, proved sufficient, after a short contest, to rout 
the enemy and drive him from his position. His defeat was complete. He 
fled, leaving a large number of dead and wounded in our hands. Among 
the dead was the body of the notorious Colonel Henry Clay Pate. From 
facts obtained on the battle-field, and from information derived since, I 
have reason to believe that the rebel General J. E. B. Stuart received his 
deatli wound from the hand of private John A. Huff, of company E, 5th 
Micliigan cavalry, who has since died from a wound received at Hawes's 
Sliop. After the enemy had been driven across the upper Chickahominy, 
this command remained upon the battle-ground until after midnight, when 
it moved in rear of other portions of the command, towards INIeadow Bridge, 
by way of the Brook Turnpike. On arriving near the bridge, this brigade 
was ordered by the Major-General comnumding the corps to take the ad- 
vance and open the way across the Chickahominy at this point. The 
enemv, after destroying the bridge, had taken a very strong position upon 
the opi)Osite side, from which they conmianded the bridge and its approaches 
by artillery, infantry, and dismounted cavalry. The 5th Michigan, under 
Colonel Alger, was dismounted and crossed the river on the railroad bridge, 
a short distance below. The Gth IMichigan, under Major Kidd, also crossed 
the same bridge, dismounted. These two regiments advanced far enough 
to protect the pioneers while building the bridge. This beuig done, the 7th 
Michigan, two regiments from Colonel Devin's brigade, and two regiments 
from General INicrritt's brigade, crossed the bridge to the support of the 
5th and Gth INIichigan. The enemy had improved the natural strength of 
their position by heavy breastworks. After a hard contest, from which we 
suffered severely, the enemy was driven from his position, leaving his dead 
and wounded in our hands. His retreat was so rapid that pursuit by dis- 
mounted men was impossilde, and the 1st Michigan, supported by the regi- 
ments of the reserve brigade, commanded by Colonel Gibbs, was sent for- 
ward and drove the enemy for two miles, returning with many prisoners. 

" In this engagement the enemy lost heavily in officers ; among others, 
General Gordon, mortal]y wounded. From this point the entire command 
moved to Gaines' Mills, this brigade being in advance, when the entire 
comnuuul encamped for the night. The following morning, IMay 18th, we 
marclied to Bottom's Bridge and encami)ed. INIay 14th we arrived at INIal- 
vern Hill, and opened coiumunication with General Butler's forces. May 
17th, about dark, started on our return to the army. INIay 18th crossed the 
Chickahominy at Jones's Bridge, and about two P. M. reached Baltimore 
Cross-roads, when we encam})ed until the 20th. This brigade was then de- 
tached from the corps for the purpose of destroying the liichmond, Frede- 
ricksburg, and Virginia Central Railroads at their crossing of the South 
Anna. On the morning of the same day reached Hanover Court-house, 
where we burned two trestle bridges over Hanover creek, and dcf-troyed 
about one mile of railroad at that i)lace, capturing some commissai-y stores 
at the station. Not deeming it advisable to encamp at that point, we 
marched back to Hanover town. The next morning returned to Hanover 
Court-house, when we ascertained that a brigade of rebel cavalry had occu- 
pied the town that night, and had retired in the direction of Hanover Junc- 
tion. A heavy force of the enemy, consisting of infantry, cavalry, and ar- 
tilhjry, was also reported at the railroad bridge on the South Anna. Leav- 
ing the 0th and 7th IMichigan to hold the cross-roads at Han(jver Court- 
house, the 1st and 5th JMichigau were ordered to move in the dircctiou of 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 251 

the South Aunii, and ascertain the strength and position of the enemy. They 
had not proceeded beyond two miles when the enemy were discovered in 
strong force in fi'out, wliile a heavy column of his was reported to be moving 
on our left flank. Not desiring to bring on an engagement at this jjoint, 
and having accom])lished tlie main object of the expedition, the command 
was withdrawn and rejoined the division the following day at the White 
House, where we crossed the Panumkey about dark, and encamped about 
one mile from the river. May 23d, marched to Herring Creek, and en- 
camped about two miles from Dunkirk. The following day marched to 
near Milford Station. IMay 25th, we rejoined the Army of the I*<>toniac. 
INIay 2()th, we broke camp and marched until midnight, reaching Daruey's 
Ferry, on the Pamunkey. The ferry was held by a portion of Uutler's 
brigade, of the enemy's cavalry. The 1st Michigan, under command of 
Lieut. Col. Stagg, were ordered to drive the enemy from the banks, and 
cover the laying of the pontoon bridge. After a brisk engagement we ob- 
tained possession of the opposite bank of the river, capturing a number of 
prisoners. After the bridge was completed the whole command crossed, this 
lirigade being in the advance. At Hanover Town this brigade was divided, 
the 1st and Gth JNIichigan moving up the direct road to Planover Court- 
house, the 5th and 7th taking a road to the left, leading to Hawes's Shop. 
The 1st and 6th had })roceeded but a short distance from Hanover Town, 
when they encountered a superior force of the enemy's cavalry, dismounted 
and holding the Avoods on each" side of the road. The enemy, by his supe- 
riority in numbers and his advaiitago .in position, successfully checked the 
further advance of the 1st and (Uh ^lichigan until, ascertaining the fact, I 
ordered the 5th and 7th to move by a road leading from Hawes's Shop to 
the rear of the enemy's position. A considerable force of the enemy was 
found holding this road ; but the advance of the 5th Michigan, under Capt. 
Hastings, supported by the main body of the regiment under Capt. INIagoffin, 
charged and drove them in great disorder. Upon arriving near Crump 
Creek, the enemy took up a nvw position and attempted to prevent our fur- 
ther advance. The 5tli Michigan was dismountetl and deijloycd on the 
right, while the 7th JMicliigan charged with the sabre on the left. The en- 
emy, not waiting to receive our charge, fled in confusion across Crump Creek, 
followed by the 7th JMicliigan, which charged them three miles, returning 
with a large number of prisoners. The position now held by the 5th Mich- 
igan was ahuost in rear of that portion of the enemy confronting the 1st and 
6th IMichigan. My diminished numbers, and the exhaustion of both men 
and horses, prevented me from making an attack upon the enemy's rear. I 
contented myself by making a diversion in favor of the 1st and Gth Michi- 
gan, the effect of which was to relieve them from the presence of the enemy 
in their front, who, estimating the force in their rear to be a vastly superior 
one, gave way in a disorderly rout. The 1st and Gth IMichigan were moved 
forward, and united with the 5th and 7th IMichigan, when we took up a po- 
sition on Crump Creek. "We encamped on Crump Creek until the following 
morning, when the 2d division, being attacked by the whole f)rce of cavalry 
of the enemy, we were ordered to Gen. Gregg's assistance. After marching 
to Hawes's Shop, we moved down the Richmond Road near the vicinity of 
Eauon Church. Owing to the thick woods and dense underbrush (in front 
.of the enemy's position) it was impossible to manreuvre the connnand mount- 
ed. The entire brigade Avas therefore dismounted and formed in line, cross- 
ing the road at right angles ; the 1st and 6th ^lichigan being formed on the 
right of the road, the 5tli and 7th jMichigan on the left of the road, the left 
of the 6th connecting with the right of the 7th. In this manner the brigade 



252 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

moved forward until near General Gregg's line of battle, when a gap was 
opened in his line for our occupation. By this time the engagement had 
become general throughout the entire line and the firing very heavy. 

" Severe losses had been inflicted on both sides without decided advantage 
to eitlier. As soon as all necessary disposition had been made, this brigade 
moved forward and engaged the enemy. The 5th and 7th Michigan, in 
their advance, were exposed to a well-directed cross-fire from the enemy, as 
well as to a heavy fire in their front. More than once were they compelled 
to give ground before the destructive storm of bullets which was showered 
upon them, but only to advance again with courage and determination. 
Seeing that it was within the power of the 1st and 6th INIichigan to advance 
and dislodge that portion of the enemy which had poured such a destructive 
cross-fire into the ranks of the 5th and 7th JNIichigan, I gave the order for 
the two former regiments to advance their line, which order was obeyed 
with promptness, the men moving forward with a cheer, driving the enemy 
from his position in great confusion, and compelling him to leave the ground 
strewn with his dead and wounded. At the same time, the 5th and 7th on 
tlie left of the road advanced, and were successful in dislodging the enemy 
from their front, inflicting upon him a terrible loss. The pursuit was kept 
up until the enemy had placed himself beyondthe range of our guns. From 
an examination of the ground after the engagement, it was ascertained that 
the loss of the enemy was far heavier than during any previous engagement 
of the same extent and duration. The havoc was particularly great in 
Butler's brigade of mounted infantry, comj^osed of seven large regiments, 
principally from South Carolina. Our loss in this engagement was greater 
than in any other of the campaign. Captain IMaxwell, of the 1st jNIichigan, 
Captain Oliphant, Lieutenants Brewer, Osborn, and Muthersell, of the 
5th Michigan, were severely wounded, and Captain Dodge, of the 5th Mich- 
igan, slightly wounded. Lieutenant James Christiancy, one of my personal 
aids, while gallantly cheering on the men in the thickest of the fight, and 
at the moment when the tide of battle was being turned in our favor, re- 
ceived two wounds, one of which carried away the end of his thumb, the 
other intlicting a very dangerous and painful wound through the thigh ; at 
the same time his horse was shot under him. Lieutenant Nims, of my staff", 
also had his horse shot under him. We held our position here until after 
dark, when we were relieved by the infantry. We marched back and 
encamped on the Pamunkey, about one mile from the Tolopotomoy creek. 
The following day we crossed the creek, and encamped about one mile from 
New Castle ferry, where we remained until 3 P. M. on the 30th, when we 
marched to Old Church. Here we found the reserve brigade engaged with 
the enemy, who had taken up a position on the Matedequin creek. Being 
ordered to the support of General Merritt, I ordered the 5th ]\Iichigan on 
the right of the road, dismounted, the 1st and 7th JNIichigan on the left, 
also dismounted. As soon as I had formed my line, I ordered it to advance. 
The men went forward with a yell, and in a very short time we luid driven 
the enemy from his position. The 5th jMiehigan, on the right of the road, 
moved forward much faster than the regiments on the left, those on the left 
having met a larger force, who opposed them with great determination. I 
tht'U ordered the 6th Michigan, (then in reserve,) mounted, to charge^ 
them ; but before I could get that regiment up, the enemy had been driven 
from the field, leaving his dead and wounded in our hands. In this fight 
we captured a large number of prisoners. Lieutenant E. G. Granger, of 
mv stair, was struck on the left shoulder by a spent ball. We encamped at 
Parsely's Mills, on the Matedequin. 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 253 

"May 31. — About 3 P. M. the brigade moved toward Cold Harbor; the 
6th JMichigan moved by a country road, with orders if possible to connect 
with the right of Colonel Devin's brigade. Arriving near that place, we 
found the reserve brigade hotly engaged with a superior force of cavalry, 
infantry, and artillery. The rebels had a strong barricade on the crest of 
the hill on which Cold Harbor is situated, which was well defended. All 
our efforts to dislodge the enemy for a time were unsuccessful, until the 5th 
Michigan and a portion of the reserve brigade were ordered to move on one 
of the enemy's flanks. The enemy, finding their position turned, began to 
abandon their works. At this moment one battalion of the 1st Michigan, 
under Major Brewer, was ordered to charge the enemy with drawn sabres. 
This charge produced the desired effect. The enemy, without waiting to 
receive it, threw down their arms and fled, leaving their dead and wounded 
on the field. 

"This position being an important one, and having received orders to hold 
it at any cost, measures were taken to put it in as defensible condition as 
possible. 

"Wo remained on the ground that night, the troops sleeping on their arms. 
Soon after daybreak the next morning, a portion of tlie line held by the 
1st ^Michigan was attacked by a large force of the enemy. Heavy liring 
was kept up for a long time, but tlie enemy, finding our position too strong, 
withdrew. It was here that Captain Brevoort, of the 1st iNlicliigan, one of 
the most gallant ofiicers in the corps, ■\vas killed ; also Caj)tain Haslet, of 
the same regiment, was wounded. We were then relieved by a portion of 
the 6th corps, after Avhich we moved back to within a few miles of Parsely's 
Mills and encamped. June 2d, we moved toward the Chickahominy, and 
encamped at Bottom's Bridge. "We remained here till the 4th, when we 
moved to the Old Church Tavern; 5th, encamped at Shedley's, near Hawes' 
Shop; Gth, encamped, at Newcastle Ferry; 7th, crossed the Pamunkey, 
marched about a mile beyond Aylett's^ and remained there till the next 
morning, when we moved to Hening Creek and encamped ; June 9th, en- 
camped at Young's Bridge ; June 10th, encamped within three miles of 
Louisa Court-house. About daylight of the 11th, the 7th Michigan, who 
Avere on picket on the road leading to the court-house, was attacked by 
Wickhani's rebel cavalry. As soon as I received notice of this attack, 1 
ordered the 1st Michigan to move to the support of the 7th. The enemy 
did not foUow up his attack. We then moved toward Travillian Station. 
The other brigades of the division had already moved by another road, and 
I was ordered to connect with them at the station. The force by which we 
had been attacked folloAved us up, but did not press my rear very clos;-. 
]\Iy advance had arrived within a short distance of the station, when I re- 
ceived word from Captain Hastings, commanding the advance, that there 
was a wagon train in sight. I immediately ordered the 5tli Michigan (Col. 
Alger) to charge them. This regiment charged down past the station, cap- 
turing a large number of Avagons, ambulances, caissons, and about eight 
hundred led horses. These being the horses of the force engaging Geneial 
Merritt and Colonel Devin. I then sent the Gth IMichigan forward to the 
support of the 5th. They had gone but a short distance, when the rebels 
charged them in the rear. I then dismounted a portion of ray command, 
and very soon had driven the enemy from my front. I moved down to the 
station, and discovered a large force of the enemy with a battery in position 
on the right of the road. I ordered Major Brewer with the 7th ^lichigan 
down the road mounted, with orders as soon as my battery opened to charge 
them with drawn sabres. I had then one section of Captain Pennington's 



254 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

battery in position near the station-house, and had sent orders for the 1st 
Michigan, which was in the rear, to move forward as rapidly as possible to 
charge the enemy on his left flank at the moment the 7th Michigan charged 
him in front. But this regiment was fully employed in holding the enemy, 
who were making a vigorous assault on our rear ; consequently, before those 
dispositions could be made, the enemy had gained possession of the woods 
on our right, and jwured such a destructive fire on the cannoneers that they 
were compelled to change the position of the section. Colonel Alger, acting 
under the impulse of a pardonable zeal, did not halt at the station as the 
order required, but advanced more than a mile beyond, hoping to increase 
his captures. The enemy, taking advantage of this, interposed his force 
between Colonel Alger's rear and the advance of the Gth INIichigan, reoccu- 
pying the station and cutting Colonel Alger off from support. 

" I)isai:)pointed in not meeting the other brigades of the division, with 
which I expected to form a junction at this point, and the enemy having 
shown himself in heavy force on all sides, I was compelled to take up a 
position near the Station, from which 1 (K)uld resist the attacks of the 
enemy, which were now being made on my front, right, left, and rear. As 
firing could now be heard in the direction from which the reserve and 2d 
brigades Avere expected, I determined to hold my position until reinforce- 
ments could arrive. The enemy made repeated and desperate efforts to 
break our lines at different points, and in doing so compelled us to change 
the position of our batteries. The smallness of m}' force compelled me to 
adopt very contracted lines. From the nature of the ground and character 
of the attacks that were made upon me, our line resembled very nearly a 
circle. The space over which we fought was so limited there was actually 
no place which could be called under cover, or in other words, the entire 
ground was within range of the enemy's fires. This fact induced the officer 
who had charge of the pack-trains, caissons, headquarters wagons, and all 
the property we had captured, to seek without orders a place of safety. In 
doing so he conducted them into the lines of the enemy, when they were 
re-captured. In causing this mishap he acted on his own responsibility, 
impelled by fear alone, and I might add that for his conduct on this occa- 
sion the President of the United States has dismissed him from the service 
for cowardice and treachery. 

"About this time the enemy charged one of my guns, but before he 
could get it from the field the 7th Michigan, led by Major Brewer and 
Walker, charged them, killing and wounding quite a number. Twice the 
enemy charged this gun, but were unsuccessful in its capture. In this 
charge Major Brewer was severely wounded. After the enemy had been 
driven from this point, I started with the 7th Michigan after the trains. 
"NVe came upon the rear of them, and recaptured two caissons, three ambu- 
lances, and several wagons. The enemy's force being so much greater than 
mine, I did not deem it advisable to follow. I then ordered this regiment 
back to its position on the line. At this time we had connected with the 
other brigades of the division. In this fight Majors Kidd and Dcane, of 
the Gth ^lichigan were captured, but were shortly afterwards retaken by a 
portion of their own regiment, led by Captain Birger. Also in this fight 
Lieutenant Ilichard Baylis, of my staff, received a severe and painful 
wound through the shoulder while bravely leading a successful charge 
against a superior force of the enemy. He continued to fight and encour- 
age the men until compelled to leave the field from loss of blood. Captain 
Jacob L. Greene, my A. A. G., was here taken prisoner. With unfeigned 
sorrow I am called upon to record the death of one of the 'bravest of the 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 255 

])rave,' Sergeant JVIitcliell Belvir, of the 1st IMichigan cavalry. He lias 
been ray color-bearer since the organization of this brigade. He received 
his death wound -while nobly discharging his duty to his flag and to his 
country. He was killed in the advance, while gallantly cheering the men 
forward to victory. 

"The men remained on the line all that night. The next day, about 4 
P. M., we moved out on the road to Gordonsvillo, this lirigade 1)eiiig in the 
advance. "NVc had marched but a few miles when we found tlie ciioiny in 
very strong position. I immediately dismounted the Gth and 7th jMicliigan, 
sending the Otli in on the left of the railroad, the 7tli on the right, holding 
the 1st and 5th in reserve. Soon these regiments became liotly engaged. 
A i)ortion of the reserve brigade was then sent to connect with the right of 
my line. I also ordered the 1st and 5th to move out and reinforce tlie Gth 
and 7th. At this time the engagement became general. We had been 
fighting in this manner for some time, gaining no advantage, when I re- 
ceived orders from the General commanding the division to advance my 
line, and, if possible, dislodge the enemy ; but the position proving too 
formidable, I deemed it best to withdraw my command to the position pre- 
viously held at the forks of the road. We held this position until mid- 
night, when we withdrew. Our loss of officers in this engagement was very 
heavy. Captain Carr, Lieutenants Pulver and Warren, killed ; Captain 
Duggan and Lieutenant Ihillock, Avoundcd — all of the 1st Michigan. 
Cai)tains Hastings and Dodge, of the 5th Michigan, wounded ; also. Captain 
Lovell and Lieutenant Kanouse, of "the Gth INIichigan, wounded. We 
inarched all night, and in the morning recrossed the north branch of the 
North Anna, near which we encamped. On the 14th encamped at Shady 
Grove Church ; 15th, encamped near Guinea Station; IGth, eight miles 
beyond Newtown; 17th, near Walkerton ; 18th, near King and Queen 
Court-liousc ; 19th, moved to Dunkirk; 20th, crossed the Mattapony 
river, and that night encamped near the Pamuukey; 21st, crossed the 
Pamunkey near White House ; 22d, crossed the Chickahominy at Jones' 
Bridge, and encamped near the river ; from this point we moved on the 
morning of the 24tli to Charles City Court-house, where we encamped for 
the nigiit ; 25th, moved to a point near the James river ; 28th of June, 
crossecl the James river ; 29tli, moved to Prince George Court-house ; 30th, 
encamped near Reams' Station. During these operations this brigade has 
captured 14 commissioned officers, ol8 enlisted men, two pieces of artillery, 
with limbers filled with ammunition, and has mortally wounded ]\la)or- 
General J. E. B. Stuart and Brigadier-General Gordon, of the rebel cav- 
alry. It would be unjust to the brave officers and men who compose my 
command, did I close this report without uttering one word in recognition 
of their bravery, daring, and endurance, as exhibited during the late cam- 
paign. Where so many instances of individual heroism occurred, it is 
iiu])ossible to particularize. The desire to discharge all duties in a faithful 
and patriotic manner seemed universal throughout the command. I can 
only return my thanks to the regimental commanders, and to the officers 
and men under them, for the promptness and energy with which they cai"- 
ried out my orders. ^ly thanks are also due to Captain Pennington and 
Lieutenants Woodruff and Egan, for the skillful and dashing manner in 
wliic'h tluir guns were handled. Words cannot express ray gratitude to 
the members of my stafl* who, on all occasions, rendered me the most 
hearty support, and to whose able assistance I was frequently indebted for 
the success of our arms. Captain Charles Walker, who served as volunteer 
aid on my stall' throughout the entire campaign, participating in every 



256 



HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 



engagement with great credit and distinction to himself, is deserving of the 
highest praise for his courageous and patriotic example. Below I append 
a recapitulation of our losses during the Avhole campaign : 
"My staff officers, 3 wounded and 2 missing." 





Killed. 


Wounded. 


Missing. 


Total. 


1st Michigan, officers 

Enlisted men 


3 

37 


5 

133 

8 

52 

2 

58 

1 

98 




1 
64 

1 
135 

1 
63 

1 
13 


9 
934. 




9 


Enlisted men 


12 

1 
28 

1 
12 


199 


6th Michigan, officers 


4 
149 


7th Michigan, officers 


3 

123 






Total 


733 











On the 31st of July the brigade was ordered to proceed to AVashington, 
and thence to the Shenandoah Valley, Avhere the regiments engaged the 
enemy at the following points: Winchester, August 11; Front Royal, 
August 16 ; Leetown, August 25 ; Shepherdstown, August 25 ; Smithfield, 
August 29 ; Berryville, September 3 ; Summit, September 4. 

Extract from the report of Col. R. A. Alger, commanding 5th regiment : 

* * * " Moved to Yellow Tavern, on Brook Turnpike, \\^iere we 
met Stuart's cavalry in force. May 10th and 11th, 1864. The regiment was 
dismounted here and ordered to the left of the road, to drive the enemy from a 
piece of Avoods which they occupied on the opposite side of a large open field. 
Charging across the field under a heavy fire, the enemy was driven from 
his position across a ravine. Reforming the line, an order was received 
from the general commanding to charge the enemy in our front and right, 
as lie was going to charge a battery on the right of the road. This order 
executed, and arriving at a point commanding a hill in rear of a rebel bat- 
tery, an officer, accompanied by a large staff and escort and carrying a 
large flag, was seen coming on to the hill from the rear. This officer was 
shot by Private John A. Huff, company E, 5th Michigan cavalry, formerly 
of Berdan's sharpshooters. He was immediately carried to the rciir by his 
staff. About thirty minutes later the hill was gained, and a woman and 
negi'o stated that General Stuart had been shot on the hill above-mentioned, 
and first brought to her house and afterwards carried away in an ambu- 
lance. Rebel accounts agree with the statement of this woman, also what 
was seen by us. In this engagement the brave Capt. Bcnj. F. Axtell was 
mortally wounded and left at a citizen's house on the battle-field." * * * 

Capt. Benj. F. Axtell was wounded and taken prisoner at Yellow Tavern 
May 11, 1864. Died of his wounds in Libby Prison. 

Extract from the report of Colonel James H. Kidd, commanding 6th re- 
giment : 

"May 12th, 1864, we reached Meadow's Bridge, on the Chickahorainy ; 
found the bridge gone and the crossing disputed by the enemy's dis- 
mounted men and infantry, with strong breastworks and artillery. From 
the swampy nature of the ground it was impossible to bring artillery to 
bear upon them. ' The stream must be crossed at all hazards ' was ordered, 
and the 5th and 6th Michigan were assigned the duty. Dismounting, the 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 257 

two regiments crossed on the ties of a railroad bridge, one man at a time, 
in the face of a galling fire of musketry and artillery, succeeded in gaining 
a foothold on the opposite bank, and subsequently charging the enemy, 
driving him in confusion, killiug and capturing a large number. Tliis is 
one of the most desperate fights in which the regiment was ever engaged, 
and attended with but few casualties. Lieut. Thojnas A. Eddie, one of our 
bravest and most efficient officers, was instantly killed by a shot through 
the head." 

Extract from the report of Colonel R. A. Alger, commanding the 5th 
Michigan : 

* -t. * u Q^ ^i^g 28th of May, 1864, we were ordered with the brigade 
to support Gen. Gregg's division, which had already become engaged with 
the enemy near Hawes' Shop. The brigade dismounted, formed in line, and 
moving forward became hotly engaged immediately. The ground over 
which this regiment passed was covered with pine shrubs, affording no shel- 
ter from the fire of the enemy, who was strongly posted in heavy timber, on 
high ground, and behind formidable breastworks of logs. Charging into 
the woods, the enemy, after an obstinate resistance, fighting our men hand 
to hand, was driven with great loss, leaving the ground strewn with his dead 
and wounded. Of eleven officers and one hundred and forty^en of this 
regiment engaged, five officers and fifty men were killed or wounded. Capt. 
David Oliphant, a gallant officer, was mortally wounded while cheering on 
his men in the thickest of the fight." ** * * 

Captain Oliphant died of his wounds on June 4th following. 

On the "Sheridan raid," commencing May 10th, 1864, the battle of 
" Hawes' Shop " was fought on the 28th of the same month. In that severe 
engagement the INIichigan cavalry brigade took a most prominent part. 
Colonel James H. Kidd, then in command of the 6th INIichigan cavalry, in 
a report says of the part taken by his regiment and the brigade on that 
occasion : 

" On the 28th May fought the battle of ' Hawes' Shop.' Gregg's men 
were falling back. Gen. Custer was ordered to support him. The^ brigade 
was dismounted. The 6th had the right of the road, its left resting thereon ; 
the enemy was in the woods ; we formed in the open fields. Gen. Custer 
ordered three cheers and a charge ; the cheers were given and the order to 
charge obeyed. In a minute the fight was hand to hand. The rebels fought 
with desperation, but were routed. They left their dead and wounded in our 
hands and many prisoners. In ten minutes, out of 140 men I had engaged 
83 were killed or wounded ; 12 were killed instantly, 4 died before morn- 
ing. The ground where the regiment fought was covered with rebel dead 
and wounded. The trees were riddled. Infantry officers who saw the fight 
spoke of it as one of the most desperate they ever witnessed. It is not boast- 
ing to say that the gallantry displayed by the men of the Michigan brigade 
in this fight was extraordinary, unexampled." 

General Sheridan, referring to the action at Trevillian Station, June 11th 
and 12th, 1864, says: 

"The cavalry engagement of the 12th was by far the most brilliant one 
of the present campaign. The enemy's loss was very heavy. My loss in 
captured will not exceed 160. They were principally from the 5th ]\Iichi- 
gan cavalry. This regiment gallantly charged down the Gordonsville road, 
capturing 1,500 horses and about 800 men, but Avere finally surrounded and 
had to give them up." 

Extract from a report of Colonel James H. Kidd, 6th Michigan : 

" On the morning of the 11th of August, 1864, we marched at daylight, 
Q 



258 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

and took up position beyond /Opequan creek, toward Winchester. A sec- 
tion of Ransoin's battery was charged upon by th.e enemy. Gapt. IMather, 
with a battalion of the 6th Michigan, happening to be at hand, repulsed the 
charge and saved the battery, at the sacrifice, however, of his own life. He 
was instantly killed while urging his men forward." * * * 

In a report of jMajor George (j. Briggs, 7th cavalry, mention is made of 
the action at Front Royal, or " Crooked Run," August 16th, 1864, as fol- 
lows : 

* * * " On the 16th August the regiment took an active part in the 
action at Front Royal, where we charged a whole brigade of rebel cavalry, 
completely routing them, capturing 100 prisoners, a large number of horses 
and arms. Lieut. Lucius Carver was killed in this charge." * * * 

Extract from report of Col. R, A. Alger, commanding 5th Michigan : 
" Early in the afternoon of August 16, 1864, the enemy attacked the 
pickets in our front, near Front Royal. The regiment was immediately 
saddled and moved out, afterwards dismounted and advanced over the 
brow of a hill. Here the enemy was found just forming in line preparatory 
to a charge. The regiment charged and drove the enemy into the river, 
capturing sixty-five prisoners, and killing and wounding a large number. 
In this engagement Lieutenant E. G. Granger, who was serving on the staflf 
of General Custer, was killed." * * * * 

Extract from a report of Colonel Peter Stagg, commanding 1st Michigan, 
covering the action at Shepherdstown, Va., August 25, 1864 : 

* * * "Arriving near Kearneysville, August 25, 1864, we came upon 
the enemy's cavalry and drove him about a mile. Again moving forward, 
we discovered long columns of rebel infantry marching up on our flanks, 
when we were ordered back. At kShepherdstt)\vn we halLed for a short time, 
and the enemy's cavalry soon appeared in our I'ront and fiank. Tliis force 
we charged Avith the brigade and drove back to their supports, but in doing 
so became cut off from our main force and surrounded by rebel infantry. 
The brigade, after desperate fightiug, almost hand to hand, succeeded in 
crossing the Potomac near Sharpsburg, Md. Captain Fred. A. Buhl was 
mortally wounded while bi'avely doing his duty." * * * 

Captain Buhl died of his wounds at Annapolis, ]Md., 15th September fol- 
lowing. 

Of the engagement with the enemy near Winchester, on the 19th of 
September, 1864, General Custer, in his report of 28th of that month, says: 

"I have the honor to submit the fi)llowing report of the part taken by 
ray brigade in the engagement of the 18th instant, near Winchester, Va. 

"In compliance with instructions from division headquarters, my com- 
mand was in readiness to move from its encampment near Summit Point 
at 2 o'clock on the morning of the 19th. It being the intention to reach 
the Opequan, some five miles distant, before daylight, the march was be- 
gun soon after 2 A. M., and conducted by the most direct route across the 
country, independent of roads. My brigade moved in advance of the 
division, and reached the vicinity of the Opequan before daylight, and 
unobserved by the enemy, wliose pickets were posted along the opposite 
bank. Massing my command in rear of a belt of woods and opposite a 
ford, situated about three miles from the point at which the railroad 
crosses the stream, I waited the arrival of the division commander and 
the.remainder of the division. At daylight I received orders to move to a 
ford one mile and a half up the stream, and there attempt a crossing. This 
movement was also made beyond the view of the enemy, and my command 
was massed opposite the point designated, in rear of a range of hills over- 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 259 

]'>oking the Opcquan. Owing to a roconnoi.'f.sanoo made at this point by 
(tur forces a few days previous, the enemy were found on the alert, tlicreby 
destroying all hopes of securing possession of the ford by a surprise. Two 
regiments, the 25th New York and 7th IMichigan, both under command of 
that i-eliable soldier, Lieutenant-Colonel Brewer, of the 7th IMichigan, were 
selected to charge the ford and obtain possession of the rifle-pits upon the 
opposite bank. By request of the senior ofiicer of the 25th New York 
cavalry, that regiment was placed in advance, and both regiments moved, 
under cover of a hill, as near to the ford as possible without being exposed 
to the fire of the enemy. At the same time,- the Gth Michigan cavalry, 
Cohmel Kidd commanding, advanced, dismounted, to the crest overlooking 
the ford, and engaged the enemy on the opposite bank. Everything prom- 
ised success, and the order was given for the column of Colonel Brewer to 
charge. 

"Accordingly, both regiments moved rapidly towards the ford. The 
advance of the 25th New York reached the water, when the enemy, fi-om a 
well-covered rifle-pit opposite the crossing, opened a heavy fire upon our 
advance, and succeeded in repulsing the head of the column, whose conduct 
induced this entire portion of the command to give way in considerable 
confusion. No responsibility for this repulse could be attached to Lieut- 
enant-Colonel Brewer, who had left nothing undone to insure success. 
Giving him orders to reform his command under the cover of the ridge of 
hills bcf)re mentioned, and directing CV)lonel Kidd to engage the attention 
of the enemy as closely as possilile, while such a disposition of sharp- 
shooters Avas made as to quiet that portion of the enemy lodged in the rifle- 
pits covering the ford. The 1st Michigan cavalry. Colonel Stagg com- 
manding, which had been held in reserve, was ordered to accomplish what 
two regiments had utisuccessfully attempted. No time was lost, but aided 
by the experience of the command which preceded it, the 1st cavalry se- 
cured a good position near the ford. 

"Colonel Stagg, detaching two squadrons as an advance guard, under 
Lieutenant-Colonel ^Maxwell, one of the most dashing and intre])id ofllcers 
of the service, ordered the charge, and under cover of the heavy fire poured 
in by the 6th Michigan, gained a footing upon the opposite bank, capturing 
the rifle-pits and a considerable number of prisoners. The enemy retired 
about one mile from the ford in the direction of "Winchester, and took a 
position behind a heavy line of earthworks, protected in addition by a 
formidable chevaux dcfrise. My entire command was moved to the south 
bank of the stream, and placed in position along the ridge just vacated by 
the enemy. About this time, a battery of horse artillery, under command 
of Lieutenant Taylor, reported to me, and was immediately ordered into 
position within range of the enemy's works. Prisoners captured at the 
ford repi-escnted themselves as belonging to Breckinridge's Corps, and 
stated that their corps, with Breckinridge in command, was posted behind 
the works confronting us. Deeming thi;- information reliable, as the results 
of the day proved it to be, I contented myself with annoying the enemy 
with artillery and skirmishers, until the other brigade of the division, 
having effected a crossing at a ford lower down, established connection 
with my left. Acting in conjunction with a portion of Colonel Lowell's 
brigade, an advance of the 1st and 7th Michigan and 25th New York was 
ordered to test the numbers and strength of the enemy. This moveinent 
called forth from the enemy a heavy fire from his batteries. It failed, 
however, to inflict serious damage. Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell, who 
headed the charging column, as was his custom, succeeded in piercing the 



260 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

enemy's line of infantry and reaching to within a few feet of their artillery. 
Overwhelming numbers alone forced him to relinquish the intent of their 
capture, and he retired, after inflicting a severe loss upon the enemy. This 
advance, while clearly developing the position and strength of the enemy, 
w:is not without loss on our part. 

" Among those whose gallantry on this occasion was conspicuous was 
Li'.Hit. Jackson, of the 1st Michigan cavalry, Avho, Avhile among the foremost 
in the charge, received a wound which carried away his arm and afterwards 
proved mortal. He was a young officer of great promise, and one whose 
loss was severely felt. At this time the engagement along the centre and 
left of our line was being contested with the utmost energy upon both sides, 
as could be determined by the heavy firing both of artillery and small arms. 
While it was known to be impossible to carry the position iu my front with 
the force at my disposal, it Avas deemed important to detain as large a force 
of the enemy in our front as possible, and thus prevent reinforcements of 
other parts of their line. With this object in view, as great a display of our 
forces was kept up as the circumstances would alloAV. At the same time 
skirmishing was continued Avith little or no loss to either side. From the 
configuration of the ground the enemy was enabled to move or mass troops 
in rear of his position unseen by my command. Either divining our inten- 
tions of delaying him, or receiving orders to this efiect, he abandoned the 
position in our front and witlidrcw towards our left. In the absence of in- 
structions I ordered a general advance, intending, if not opposed, to move 
beyond the enemy's left flank and strike him in reverse. I directed my 
advance towards Stevenson's Depot, and met with no enemy until within 
two miles of that point, when I encountered Lomax's division of cavalry, 
which at that time was engaged with Averill's division, advancing on my 
right on the Martiusburg pike. Our appearance Avas unexpected, and pi-o- 
duced such confusion upon the part of the enemy that though charged re- 
peatedly by inferior numbers they at no time waited for us to ai)i)roach 
within pistol range, but broke and fled. Soon after a junction Avas formed 
Avith General Averill on my right, Avhich, Avith the connection on my left, 
made our line unbroken. At this time five brigades of cavalry Averc moving 
on parallel lines. Most, if not all, of the brigades moved by brigade front, 
regiments being in parallel columns of squadrons. One continuous and 
heavy line of skirmishers covered the ad\'anee, using only the carbine, Avhile 
tlie line of brigades, as they advanced across the open country, the bands 
phaying the national airs, presented, in the sunlight, one moving mass of 
glistening sabres. This, combined Avith the various and bright-colored ban- 
ners and battle-flags, intermingled here and there Avith the plain blue uni- 
f)rms of the troops, furnished one of the most inspiring as avcU as imposing 
scenes of martial grandeur ever Avitucssed upon a battle-field. No encoui'- 
agcment Avas required to inspirit either men or horses. On the contrary, it 
was necessary to check the ardor of botli until the time for action should 
arrive. The enemy had effected a junction of his entire cavalry force, com- 
posed of the divisions of Lomax and Fitz Hugh Lee. They wei-e formed 
across the Martinsburg and Winchester pike, about three miles fVnm the 
latter place. Concealed by an open pine forest, they awaited our approach. 
No obstacles to the successful manoeuvering of large bodies of cavahy were 
cncouutcred. Even the forests were so open as to oifcr little or no iiindrance 
to a charging column. Upon our left, and in plain view, could be seen the 
struggle now raging between the inftmtry lines of each army, Avhile at va- 
rious points the small columns of light-colored smoke showed that the artil- 
lery of neither side was idle. At that moment it seemed as if no i)crceptible 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 261 

advantage could be claimed by cither, but tlie fortunes of the day might be 
decided by one of those incidents or accidents of the battle-field which, though 
insignificant in themselves, often go far towards deciding the fate of nations. 
Such must have been the impression of the officers and men composing the five 
brigades now advancing to the attack. The enemy wisely chose not to re- 
ceive our attack at a halt, but advanced from the woods and charged our 
line of skirmishers. The cavalry were here so closely connected that a sepa- 
rate account of the operations of a single brigade or regiment is almost im- 
possible. Our skirmishers were forced back, and a portion of my brigade 
was pushed forward to their support. The enemy relied wholly u])on the 
<'arbine and pistol ; my men preferred the sabre. A short but closely con- 
tested struggle ensued, which resulted in the repulse of the enemy. IMany 
])risoners were taken and quite a number of both sides left on the field. 
Driving the enemy through the woods, in his rear the pursuit was taken up 
with vigor. The enemy dividing his column, from necessity our forces did 
likewise. The division of Gen. Averill moved on the right of the pike, and 
gave its attention to a small Ibrce of the enemy which was directing its re- 
treat towards the commanding heights west of the town. 

" Bly command, by agreement with General Averill, took charge of all 
forces of the enemy on the pike, and those in the immediate vicinity of the 
ground to its left. Other portions of the 1st division made a detour still 
farther to my left, so that that which had lately been one unbroken line was 
now Ibrmed into several columns of pur,suit, each Avith a special and select 
object in view. "Within three-fourths of a mile from the point where the 
enemy had made his last stand, he rallied a portion of his force. His line 
Avas Ibrmed beyond a small ditch, which he no doubt supposed would break, 
if not wholly oppose, an attacking column. Under most circumstances such 
nn'ght have been the case, but with men inspired with a foretaste of victory, 
greater obstacles must be interposed. Without designating any joarticular 
regiments, the charge was sounded, and portions of all the regiments com- 
posing my brigade joiued in the attack. The volleys delivered by the en- 
emy Averc not enough to cheek the attacking colunni, and again Avas the 
enemy driven before us,, this time seeking safety in rear of bis line of in- 
fimtry. Here he reformed for his last attempt to check our advance. The 
batteries of the enemy Avere noAv enabled to reach us, an advantage they 
Averc not slow to improve. At this time a battery of the enemy, Avith appa- 
rently little support, Avas being AvithdraAvn. My command, oAving to the 
repeated charges, had become badly broken, rendering it impossible f u' me 
to avail myself of the services of a single organized regiment. With de- 
tachments of each regiment, a charge Avas ordered upon the battery, Avhich, 
but for the extreme smallnoss of our numbers, Avould have proved success- 
ful. Ijioutenant Louensbery, 5tli ISIichigan cavalry, Avith great daring, 
advanced with a handful of men to Avithin a few paces of the battery, and 
Avas only prevented from capturing it by an infantry support, hitherttj con- 
cealed, and outnumbering him. Sergeant Barber, 5th jMichigan cavalry, 
clerk at headquarters, distinguished himself in this charge as my color- 
bearer. He carried the colors in advance of the charging column, and Avas 
conspicuous throughout the engagement until severely Avounded in the latter 
part of the day. It being necessary to reform my regiments before attempt- 
ing a further adA'ance, advantage Avas taken of a slight ridge of ground 
Avithin one thousand yards of the enemy's line of battle. Behind this ridge, 
and protected from the enemy's fire, I fi)rmed as many of my men as could 
be hastily collected. Two guns, Avhich had been annoying us on our right, 
Avere now charged and taken by the 1st and 5th regular cavalry. This 



262 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

gave us possession of a portion of the main line of the enemy's fortifications. 
At the same time our infantry on the centre and left had, after our successes 
on the right, been enabled to drive the enemy, and were now forcing him 
towards the town. Still determined to contest our further advance, the 
enemy now contracted his lines. This gave me an opportunity to move my 
brigade to a small crest, within five hundred yards of the enemy's position. 
This movement was entirely unobserved by him, his attention being drawn 
towards the heavy lines of our infantry, now advancing in open view far to 
our left. At this moment I received an order from the division commander 
to charge the enemy with my entire brigade. Having personally examined 
the situation, and knowing that a heavy force of the enemy Avas lying down 
behind these works, facts of which I knew the division commander was 
ignorant, I respectfully requested that I might be allowed to select my own 
time for making the charge. My reasons for this course were, that I was 
convinced the advance of our infantry on the centre and left Avould compel 
the force in my front to shift its j^osition to the rear, and the most favorable 
moment to strike it would be after this movement had commenced, not while 
they were awaiting us in rear of their works. My opinions were verified. 
Watching the enemy until his force had arisen from behind their works and 
commenced their retrograde movement, I gave the command to charge. 
The order was obeyed with zeal and alacrity upon the part of all. The 1st, 
5th, 6th, and 7th Michigan, with a portion of the 25th New York, advanced 
in one line, most of the command using the sabre alone. Oflicers and men 
seemed to vie with each other as to who should lead. Among those in ad- 
vance, my personal attention was attracted to Colonel Stagg, comnumding 
1st Michigan, Lieutenant-Colonel Brewer, commanding 7th Michigan; also 
Captain Warner, of the same regiment ; to Colonel Kidd, commanding 6th 
Michigan cavalry, and to Colonel Hastings, commanding 5th Michigan 
cavalry. Each of these officei's led liis regiment with most commendable 
valor. The enemy, upon our approach, turned and delivered a well-directed 
volley of nuisketry, but before a second discharge could be given, my com- 
mand was in their midst, sabering right and left, and ca])turing prisoner 
more rapidly than they could be disposed of Further resistance upon the 
part of those immediately o])posed to us was suspended. A few batteries 
posted on the heights near the toAvn continued to fire into our midst, fortu- 
nately, killing more of their own men than of ours. Their fire was silenced, 
however, as we advanced towards them. Nothing more remained but to 
collect the prisoners and other trophies of the victory. No further resist- 
ance was offered ; the charge just made had decided the day, and the entire 
body of the enemy, not killed or captured, was in full retreat up the valley. 
INIany of the prisoners cut ofi' by my conuuand fell into the hands of the 
uifautry, whose advance soon reached the ground. INIy command, how- 
ever, which entered the last charge about five hundred strong, including 
but thirty-six officers, captured over seven hundred prisoners, including 
fifty-two officers ; also seven battle-flags, two caissons, and a large number 
of small arms. It is confidently believed, that, considering the relative 
numbers engaged, and the c(miparative advantiiges held on each side, the 
charge just described stands une(iuak'd, valued according to its daring and 
success, in the history of this war. Night put an end to the ])ursuit, and 
this brigade bivouacked on the left of the valley pike, three miles from the 
battle-field. Our loss was by no means trifling. A numerical list of casu- 
alties has already been forwarded. Among the gallant dead who i'ell on 
that day is Captain North, of the 5th Michigan cavalry, whose bravery has 
rendered him conspicuous on scores of battle-fields. It is with the deepest 



THE CAVALRY BRIGADE. 263 

regret that I record the fall of Lieutenant-Colonel Brewer, of (he Ttli JMich- 
igau cavalry, who fell at the moment of victory while leadin<^ hi.s regiment 
in the final charge. I believe I am correct in stating that he fell farthest 
in advance of those who on that day surrendered their lives in their coun- 
try's cause. Possessed of ability qualifying him for much higher positions 
than those he filled, he was invariably selected to command expeditions 
involving danger, and requiring experience, daring, and sagacity, and inva- 
riably did he perform the duty assigned to him with credit to himself and 
to the satisfaction of his commanding ofiicers. Known and respected by 
all his brother officers, his memory will always be cherished by every mem- 
ber of this command ; and of him all will say he was a soldier sans peur el 
sans reproche. Instances of personal daring and gallantry during the en- 
gagement were numerous, and deserving of particular mention, but it is 
impracticable to include this list in a report of this character. A few have 
been rc^ferred to, having impressed themselves upon my personal notice at 
the time. I will only add in this connection that both ofiicerri and men did 
their duty, and not a single case of misbehavior occurred throughout the 
entire engagement. The assistance derived from the zealous and persever- 
ing efforts of the members of my staff deserves to be recorded. IMy orders 
were transmitted with accuracy and celerity, frequently delivered under a 
lieavy fire. Of the numerous charges made by my command, there were 
none that were not participated in by one or more of my staff. They were 
])articularly energetic in rallying and 'reforming regiments broken or re- 
pulsed in the charge. 

" The following-named staff officers particularly distinguished themselves: 
IMajor G. A. Drew, 6th IMichigan cavalry, A. I. G. ; Captain L. H. Barn- 
hart, 6th Michigan cavalry, A. A. A. G. ; Lieutenant E. F.. Norvell, 1st 
Michigan cavalry, A. D. C. ; Captain E. F. Decker, 1st IMichigan cavalry, 
A. A.'D. C. ; Lieutenant G. S. White, 5th Michigan cavalry, A. A. D. C. 
"Surgeon Wooster, 1st Michigan cavalry, was extremely attentive to the 
wants of the wounded, and discharged his duties with marked success." 

Three of the battle-flags taken in the engagement of September 19th, at 
Opcquan, near Winchester, were captured by men of the IMichigan regi- 
ments ; two of them by members of the 5th cavalry, Sergeant Henry M. 
Fox, of company M, (commissioned afterwards as 2d lieutenant,) who en- 
listed at Coldwater, August 12, 1862; Corporal Gabriel Cole, of conipany 
I, who enlisted at Allegan, August 10, 1862; and Sergeant John AVinter, 
company and place of enlistment unknown. One of them was taken by 
Private Ulrick L. Crocker, of company INf, 6th cavalry, who enlisted at Xev- 
genes, Kent county, September 29, 1862. 

These men are all reported in the Official Army Register of the volunteer 
force, as having been awarded medals of honor by the Secretary of War; 
and it is officially reported that they were given as rewards for acts of 
bravery in the capture of the flags referred to. 

Lieutenant Albert F. Jackson, 1st cavalry, wounded at Winchester Sep- 
tember 19, 1864, died of his wounds on November r2th following. 

At Winchester the 1st cavalry had seven killed, twenty-five wounded, and 
one missing. The 7th cavalry lost four killed and nineteen woimded. 
Losses of 5th and 6th not reported, but are supposed to be equally heavy. 
After the important engagement at Winchester the regiments were en- 
gaged at Luray, September 24th ; at Port liepulilic, September 26th, 27th, 
and 28th; at Mount Crawford, October 2d: at Woodstock, October 19th ; 
at Cedar Creek, October 19th ; at Newton, November 12th, and at Madison 
Court-house on December 24th. 



264 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

On the 27th of February, 1865, the brigade formed part of the force 
with which General Shcridau made his movement against General Early's 
army, and on the rebel communications in the direction of Gordonsville 
and Richmond, and at that date moved with the cavalry cor2")s towards 
Staunton, and on the 8th of INIareh participated in an engagement with a 
part of the rebel cavalry, under General Rosser, near Louisa Court-liouse, 
and assisted in routing it and capturing the town, in which a large amount 
of property was destroyed, including the railroad depot, with rolling stock 
and telegraph office. It also participated in taking up the track and de- 
stroying the railroad property on the line of the Lynchburg and Gordons- 
ville railroad, and in the destruction of the locks, aqueducts, and mills on 
the line of the James river canal. The command having reached White 
House Landing, March 19th, in time to take part in the final battles of 
the Army of the Potomac, soon after, with the cavalry corps, took posi- 
tion on the left of the line of that army, and on the 30th the regiment became 
engaged with the rebel cavalry and assisted in driving them within their 
works at Five Forks. It was also engaged with the enemy at the same 
point on the 31st and on April 1st ; and on the 2d at the South Side rail- 
road ; and on the 4th at Duck Pond Mills ; on the 6th at the battle of the 
Ridges, or Sailor's Creek, ai;d on the 8th and 9th at Appomattox Court- 
house. 

Colonel James H. Kidd, 6th Michigan, commanding brigade, in his re- 
port of the engagement at Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864, says : 

* * * "The picket line of the 7th Michigan cavalry having been 
driven in early in the morning, the entire brigade moved out to its sujiport. 
Found the enemy strongly posted, with artillery in position. We were 
ordered back, and took possession on the right, and afterwards on the ex- 
treme left of the army, repulsing several charges, and driving the enemy 
until overcome by superior numbers. That the Michigan brigade was 
engaged the casualties bear witness. One stand of colors and many prison- 
ers were captured. Darkness intervened to prevent perfect success. 
Kershaw's division, which confi'onted us, was utterly broken and scattered. 
xVU the regiments of this brigade deserve special mention. They never be- 
haved with more consummate gallantry. I regret to report the loss of 
Captain Shier, 1st Michigan cavalry, who was mortally wounded while 
leading a charge. A gallant officer, a polished scholar, an accomplished 
gentleman, his loss is keenly felt by all who knew him." 

Captain Shier died of his wounds, October 31st following. 
In the report of Colonel Stagg, 1st cavalry, commanding brigade, the 
following reference is made to the battle of Five Forks, April 1, 1865 : 

* * * "The next morning we moved forward, passing over the 
ground from which we had been driven the day before. Our brigade 
being in advance, we soon came upon the enemy, strongly posted behind a 
large swamp, through which it was impossible to penetrate. Gloving to 
the right, the enemy's cavalry appeared in our front and was driven to his 
main line of works, occupied by Kershaw's division. In the afternoon the 
regiment participated in tlie final charge and capture of these works, 
taking many prisoners ami pursuing the fiying enemy until long ai'ter dark. 
In this engagement Lieutenant Orwin ]M. Bartlett was killed ; also, Lieu- 
tenant George C. Whitney." 

Colonel Kidd, 6th INIichigan, says of his regiment, in an engagement near 
Five Forks: "On the 4th of April the regiment charged the enemy's Ihieof 
battk>, near Beaver Mills, Va., losing in the charge Lieut. S. H. Finney, a 
gallant officer." 



THE SECOND CAVALRY. 265 

Note. — "On the morning of the 30th of March, 1865, the Tth regiment of Michigan 
caviilry is founil with the gallant Phil. Sheridan on the right flank of the rebel army 
near Five Forks, Va. For thirty days previous the regiment had, with the balance of 
Sheridan's cavalry, been constantly on the march, being of the command with which 
he moved from the Shenandoah Valley on the 27th of February, and undertook his 
celebrated raid to the James river, and which was attended with such important and 
brilliant results. Little time had been allowed for recuperating from the cifects attend- 
ing a service so arduous as that through which they had just passed, when, on the 
morning of March 30th, the Tth Michigan numbering less than three hundred men, and 
after marching all night in rain and over heavy roads. Colonel Geo. G. Origgs, then 
commanding the regiment, received orders to move with .promptness to the support of 
the 6th Pennsylvania cavalry and the 2d U. S. cavalry regulars, holding a position on 
the extreme right of the Union lines, and which was being strongly pressed by a strong 
force of the enemy's cavalry. Upon reaching the point and reporting to the oflicer in 
commiind, the regiment was immediately placed in position to support a charge which 
■was ordered to be made upon the enemy's line by the two regiments named, and which, 
allhougli made with spirit and in splendid style, was not only met with firmness by the 
enen y, but they were forced to retire in some confusion. The enemy seeing his advan- 
tage inimedi:itely charged down upon the retreating force confident of success. The 7th 
regiment being formed in columns of squadrons, sabres drawn, moved gallantly forward 
for a counter charge. The task before it was a difficult one. Steady was the command 
as they rnpidly passed forward through the lines of retreating men to meet the on-coming 
and confident foe. A moment, and the charge is sounded, and with shouts of 'Sheridan' 
and 'Victory,' they dash into the fire of death. Not a man faltered. The veterans of 
'Gettysburg,' the 'Wilderness,' and 'Winchester,' with the names of fifty battles 
on their banriers, were on their mission, and victory or death must follow. A mo- 
ment, and the shock of contending arms and shouts of contestants filled the air. A 
moment, and the rebel line wavered, then broke and fled the field in a confused rout, 
leaving in the hands of the 7th the commanding officer of their brigade and a large 
number of prisoners — the remainder fled for safety behind the fortifications of the 
infantry, three miles to the rear, closely followed by the ' 7th.' For the part the regi- 
ment took in this action, it received the compliments of the commanding GeneraL" 

The Michigan Cavalry Brigade had fought throughout the rebellion and was in at its 
death, being gallantly engaged at Sailor's Creek April 6th, 1865, the last great day's 
fighting of the war. Mr. Greeley says of that day: "Crook now holding Sheridan's 
left (facing eastward) advanced to Deatonsville, where Lee's whole army was moving 
rapidly westward. He immediately charged, as directed by Sheridan ; well knowing 
the inferiority of his force, but determined to detain the enemy, at whatever cost, until 
supports on our side could arrive. The result justified the daring. Crook was repulsed ; 
but meantime Custer, with his division of horse, struck again farther on, gaining the 
road to Sailor's Creek, a petty tributary of Appomattox, where Crook and Devin, com- 
ing promptly to his support, he pierced the rebel line of march, destroying 400 wagons 
and taking 16 guns with many prisoners. Ewell's corps following the train, was thus 
cut off from Lee. Its advance was now gallantly charged by Colonel Stagg's Brigade, 
(Mich.:) and thus time was gained for the arrival of the leading division of the 6th 
corps pursuing the Confederate rear, when Kwell recalled, fighting stoutly till Wharton's 
division also came up, and a part of our infantry advancing, were momentarily repelled 
by a deadly fire. But the odds were too great. Ewell's veterans, inclosed between our 
cavalry and the 6th corps, and sternly charged by the latter, without a chance of escape, 
threw down their arms and surrendered. Ewell himself and four other Generals were 
among the prisoners, of whom over 6000 were taken this day." 

THE SECOND CAVALRY. 

On November 14, 18G1, the 2a cavalry, raised by Col, F. W. Kellogg, 
ntoved iVoiu their rench'zvous at Grand Rapids, destined for St. Louis, ^Mo., 
and on their arrival there, Captain Gordon Granger, U. S. A., assumed 
command as colonel. The regiment was stationed during the winter at 
Benton Barracks, near that city. Early in March, 18G2, it left that point 
to take part with the forces of General Pope in the operations against Island 
No. 10, a strongly fortified position near New ^Madrid. The 2d first encoun- 
tered the enemy near Point Pleasant, ]Mo., March 9th, and was soon after- 



266 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

"svards engaged in the siege of the island, which continued from March 14th 
until April 7th, when it was surrendered. After the reduction of that 
jitronghold, the regiment moved with General Pope's command, and joined 
the army under General Halleck in front of Corinth, where it was actively 
engaged in operating on the flanks of the rebel army, until the evacuation 
of that place by the rebels. 

Colonel Granger, having been promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, 
INIarch 26, 1862, Captain P. H. Sheridan, of the regular army, was commis- 
sioned by Governor Blair as colonel of the regiment on the 25tli of May 
following. 

Throughout the long and arduous senaces of this gallant regiment in the 
field, which terminated with the rebellion, it was the terror of rebels when- 
ever it came in contact with them. Being always superbly armed and 
equipped, and the men being brave, and all of them most excellent shots, 
it seldom attacked without defeating and routing them, and never without 
severely punishing them, even when compelled to retire before immense 
odds. 

Perhaps none of its many engagements will awaken in the minds of the 
members of the regiment more vivid recollections than those of Boonville, 
July 1, 1862, and Daiidridgo, December 24, 1863, where on both occasions 
it most signally distinguished itself. 

During the last week of June, 1862, Colonel Sheridan, while his regiment 
was stationed at Corinth, Avas ordered with his brigade, consisting of the 
2d Michigan, (his own regiment,) the 2d Iowa cavalry. Colonel Hatch, and 
two pieces of artillery, supported by two companies of infantry, to relieve a 
brigade stationed at Boonville, Miss., some twenty miles south of Corinth 
on the Mobile and Ohio railroad, being at that time the extreme outpost of 
the army in that direction. The movement was duly accomplislied so far 
as the cavalry were concerned, but the artillery and its support did not 
arrive at their destination until in the evening of the 1st of July. The 
rebel General Chalmers, then in that vicinity, gaining information from 
citizens regarding the strength of the command at Boonville, and expecting 
to make an easy conquest, attacked Sheridan's pickets at 8 A. M., on July 
1st, with (as was afterwards ascertained) 7,000 mounted men. At that 
hour there was but one company on picket, company K, 2d Michigan cav- 
alry, commanded by Captain A. P. Campbell. Taking advantage of the 
cover of the w'oods, he checked the enemy long enough to receive a rein- 
forcement of three companies, numbering only from thirty to fifty men each. 
The ground, although presenting advantages for defence in woods and small 
hills, yet had one disadvantage, in having numerous roads centering on 
Boonville, by which the enemy could a])proach in almost any direction. 
The 2d INIichigan cavalry was armed at that time with Colt's revolving rifle 
and pistol, making twelve shots to a man, either of them very destructive 
at from twenty-five to eighty rods. The men of the regiment had been 
drilled by Colonels Granger and Sheridan to fight mounted and dismounted, 
either as cavalry or sharp-shooters, as the nature of the engagement might 
demand. When, therefore, they were attacked by Chalmers, and his fire 
returned with so much power and effect from troops on foot, lie thought he 
had been misinformed as to the strength of the force at Boonville. He ad^ 
vanced Avith double lines dismounted, and double columns on either flank, 
mounted, with lines extended far enough to swing round on either flank, 
rendering the position of Captain C^un])bell in gri'at danger of being sur- 
rounded and Ills force captured, while a soliil column charged in the centre 
on the road. Their charge was met gallantly, by comparatively a mere 



THE SECOND CAVALRY. 267 

handful of men, with such effect that thoy staggered back, and many fell 
almost at the muzzle of the rifles. Taking advantage of their momentary 
wavering, a new position was chosen a few rods to the rear, and C'ampbell 
was again in readiness to meet them. Inch by inch the ground was con- 
tested by the desperate fighting of the 2d Michigan, nobly i)rotected on the 
flank by the 2d Iowa. Every man seemed to know his strength, and to 
take pride in using it to the fullest extent. When a charge was made by 
the enemy, instead of taking to their horses, which were kept under cover a 
few i-ods in the rear, they emptied their rifles of six shots at long range, then 
drew their revolvers, and before they had given them six more, the enemy 
never failed to turn to the rear in confusion. 

This continued until about 2 P. M., the command having fallen back 
about a mile and a half, and to within half a mile of the camp, when Col. 
Sheridan, finding the enemy most determined, and afl'airs becoming critical, 
viewing at a glance the situation, ordered one battalion by a circuitous 
route to charge the enemy in the rear — 200 men to charge 7,000 ! — yet they 
did it gallantly. At the same time, a supply train arriving from Corinth, 
Sheridan ordered the engineer to give a lively and cheering blast with his 
wliistlo, and the reserve to yell with a will, thus leading the enemy to be- 
lieve that reinforcements were arriving, he withdrew his force to Tupelo, 
and left Sheridan and his handful of brave men masters of the field. 

Next day 125 of the enemy's killed were buried, and numbers of his 
wounded were left at houses in the neighborhood, and he carried oft' full 
loads of wounded in his aml)ulances. llie 2d Michigan lost forty-one in 
killed and Avounded. 

After the afiliir at Boonville the regiment was engaged in skirmishes with 
the enemy at various points in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee in 1862. 

Colonel Sheridan having been commissioned as brigadier-general of vol- 
unteers July 1st, he was succeeded in command of the regiment by Lieut. 
Colonel Archibald Campbell, who was promoted to the colonelcy. During 
Februai-y and March, 1803, it was stationed at Murfreesboro' and Frank- 
lin. It made many important reconnoissances on the roads leading out of 
these places, and had numerous skirmishes with the rebels. In February it 
was engaged on the 18th near Milton, on the 19th at Cainsville, and on the 
27th near Spring Hill. On the 4th and 5th of March it had a severe skir- 
mish with the enemy under Generals Van Dorn and Forrest on the Colum- 
l)ia Pike, the regiment losing one killed, four wounded, and one captured. 
From the 8th to the 12th it participated in an important reconnoissance, 
during which the enemy were driven across Duck river. March 25th it had 
a shar]) encounter with a large fi)rce of rebels under Stearns and Forrest, 
killing and wounding a large number of the enemy, and capturing fii'ty-two 
prisoners and a number of wagons loaded with arms, ammunition, and 
baggage, with a loss to the regiment of one died of wounds, six wounded, 
and two missing. On the 4th of June, while returning to Franklin Irom 
Triune, it had a brisk skirmish, with a loss of two killed and three wounded. 
jMarching to Triune on the 6th, it remained at that point until tlie advance 
of the army from Murfreesboro', when it moved forward with the cavalry 
division to which it was attached. On the 23d it Avas engaged at Hover. 
On the 24th it drove the enemy through Middletown, and on the 27th 
charged the rebels into Shelbyville. On the 2d of July it aided in driving 
the enemy from Elk Kiver Ford, and on the 3d from Cowan. In tlie early 
])art of September the regiment was actively engaged in scouting among the 
mountains near Chattanooga and in northern Georgia. On the 18th, 19th, 
and 20th it was in the great battle of Chicamauga. Leaving Kankiu's 



268 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Ferry, on the Tennessee, October 3d, the regiment participated in the chase 
after the rebel cavalry under General AVheeler, who were then engaged in 
making a raid on the communications of the army. During the pursuit of 
Wheeler the regiment crossed the Cumberland Mountains, marching on the 
3d, 4th, and 5tla of October one hundred and three miles, and on the Gth, 
7th, and 8th eighty-two miles, the greater portion of the distance over rough 
and mountainous roads. October 31st the regiment was encamped at Win- 
chester, East Tennessee. 

Capt. James Hawley, of this regiment, was killed inaction at Chicamauga 
September 20th, while serving on Gen. Stanley's staff. 

Near Dandridge, East Tennessee, December 24, 1863, Col. A. B. Camp- 
bell, in command of a brigade of cavalry, composed of the 2d Michigan, 
9th Pennsylvania, and 1st Tennessee, attacked and drove a portion of the 
enemy's cavalry through that place, and then halted north of the town 
with no enemy in sight. At 2 P. M., same day, the rebels, under cover of 
the hills and by a curve in the road, rapidly pushed in, in rear of the com- 
mand with tAvo brigades of cavalry, cutting Colonel Campbell off from his 
only source of retreat. The enemy, at the first dash, captured two pieces 
of artillery, but they were immediately recaptured and pushed to the rear. 
Colonel Campbell at once determined to cut his way out by the left flank, 
which, by a bold and gallant dash, was accomplished. The command then 
fell steadily back before this superior force, fighting desperately on foot, and 
so closely followed by the enemy that for four hours it was found impossible 
to bring the artillery into position. Just at dark the guns were brought to 
bear and opened with much vigor, checking the enemy, thereby giving the 
brigade an opportunity to form in good shape, when it mounted and unpur- 
6ued thereafter by the enemy reached its camp at New Market, with a loss 
of twenty in killed, wounded, and missing. 

This stubborn and close fighting exhibits the strength of men when drilled 
to rely upon themselves and their sujierior arms instead of being entirely 
dependent upon officers, who may not always be able to communicate orders 
to every part of the field in a running fight. In this affair all knew the 
dangers incidental to a retreat before a superior force, and fought steadily 
and with true courage. JNIounted men with sabres could do nothing dis- 
mounted at such a time, and of course were compelled to keep out of the 
way; so that during the hottest of the fight only a portion of the 2d Michi- 
gan cavalry were engaged out of the whole brigade, and not to exceed four 
hundred men. The engagement will be recognized by all who were in the 
regiment at that time as one of the hardest fights in which it had partici- 
pated and one calculated to excite panic and disaster. 

Pressed strongly by an overwhelming f )rce through broken woods in a 
Btrange country, hardly knowing which direction to take, many of the offi- 
cers and men not having received a command from headquarters during the 
entire fight, yet preserving almost a perfect line, together with the jjcrsistent 
fighting throughout the affair, reflects credit upon every man engaged. 

On the 2r)tli the regiment encamped at ]\Iossy Creek. It remained at 
and near this ])lace until the 14th of January, 1864, having on the 29th 
of December a skirmish with the rebels, in which its casualties were 1 
killed, 1 wounded, and 2 taken prisoners. On the 14th of January the 
regiment marched to Dandridge, and on the 17th skirmished with the 
enemy, who were advancing on Knoxvillc, under General Longstreet. On 
the 19th the regiment fell back to Knoxvillc, and again crossing the TIol- 
ston river, it bivouacked on the 23d on Flat creek, and on the 2Gth dU 
Pigeon river. Marching at midnight on the 26th, it participated in an 



THE SECOND CAVALRY. 269 

attack the next day on a brigade of rebel cavalry, from whom it captured 
3 pieces of artillery and 75 prisoners, the loss of the regiment being 11 
wounded and 2 missing. 

Following the 2d through its services that followed, it is found engaging 
the enemy at numerous points in 1864. At Dug Gap, Ga., May loth and 
14th ; at Ettoway river on the 2()th, 27th, and 28th, losing at these points 
16 in killed and wounded. On the 7th of October following, the regiment, 
in command of Colonel Thomas Johnson, engaged the enemy on Cypress 
river, with a loss of 6 in killed and wounded. Among the killed was 
Lieutenant Eussell T. Darrow. November 1st it marched from Blue 
"Waters towards Shoal creek, Alabama, and was attacked by the enemy at 
that point on the 5th, and, after a gallant defence, was forced back to Four 
Mile creek, sustaining a heavy loss. From the 9th to the 14th it was in 
camp, doing ordinary scouting and j)icket duty. On the 15th it broke 
camp and made a rcconnoissance to the right of its position, and encamped 
at Taylor's Springs, and remained there until the 20th, when it marcljed to 
Lexington, Tenn., and on the 21st to Lawrenceburg, where it was attacked 
by the enemy on the afternoon of that day, and fell back towards Camp- 
bellsville and near Columbia, skirmishing at both these points. The 25th 
it crossed Duck river, and the 28th was in line of battle near the Lewis- 
burg pike. On the 29th it retired to Spring Hill, and was engaged in 
skirmishing during the day at that place and atBethesda Church. On the 
30th it was engaged at Franklin, fighting all day, sustaining a loss of 1 
killed, 17 wounded, and 3 missing. The regiment marched from near 
Franklin, December 1st, to within a few miles of Nashville, and was in 
line of battle during the night. On the 2d passed through that city, 
crossing the Cumberland river, went into camp at Edgefield, and remained 
there until the 12th, when it rccrossed the Cumberland, passing through 
Nashville, and encamped on the Charlotte pike. On the 15th it advanced 
about two miles, dismounted and skirmished during that day and next ; at 
sunset mounted and proceeded in the direction of the Ilarpeth river, 
swimming that stream, and thence marching to Spring Hill. Crossing 
Duck river on the 23d, and passing through Columbia on the 24th, it met 
the enemy at Richland creek, and fought him all day, charging and 
driving him sixteen miles, losing 1 killed and 6 wounded; skirmishing at 
Pulaski on the 25th, and at Sugar creek on the 26th, passing Taylor's 
Springs on the 28th, reaching "Waterloo on the 31st. 

On the 17th of January, 1805, it broke camp, crossing the Tennesse« 
river, and passing through Eastport, luka, and Burnsville, ]\Iiss., taking 
six prisoners ; thence proceeded to Corinth and Farmington on the 19th, 
and returning via luka, taking five prisoners, and thence, via East])ort, 
crossing the Tennessee river, reached "Waterloo on 21st, and remained there 
until March the 11th, when, breaking camp, it recrossed the Tennessee 
river, marched to Chickasaw, Ala., and was thei-e in camp until the 22d, 
when it again broke camp, passing through Frankfort and Russellville on 
the 24th, crossed Big Ford creek on the 25th, reaching Eldridge on the 
26th, passed Jasper and crossed the INIulberry river on the 28th, and Black 
"Warrior river on the 29th, and the 30th reached Elytown. Crossed Black 
"Warrior again on April 1st, at Johnston's Ferry, swimming the horses. 
Skirmished with tlie enemy on the 2d at Trion, and on the 3d arrived at 
Tuscaloosa, surprising and taking prisoners the pickets, capturing the city, 
three cannon, and taking a large number of prisoners. After destroying a 
large number of buildings containing rebel stores, and burning the l)ridge, 
the regiment marched to Bridgeville, where it was attacked on the Gth, 



270 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

and, after a brisk engagement, with a loss of three wounded, repulsed the 
enemy. Continuing the march towards Northport, passed it and Wind- 
ham's Springs. On the 13th crossed Wolf creek ; on the 14th, Lost creek 
and Black Water ; on the 19th, Black Warrior and the Coosa, at Luff's 
Ferry; on the 22d, reaching Talladaga. Skirmished with General Hill's 
brigade on the 23d, losing two killed and taking one piece of artillery. 

THE THIRD CAVALRY. 

The 3d cavalry, also raised under the direction of Col. Kellogg, soon fol- 
lowed to the field the 2d cavalry. Moving from Grand Rapids in command 
of Lieut. Col. R. H. G. Minty November 28, 18G1, for Benton Barracks, 
Missouri, where Col. J. K. Mizner assumed command of the regiment. Its 
first engagement with the rebels was at New Madrid, Missouri, Marcli 13th, 
1862, where it commenced a most creditable career, giving traitors a lively 
idea what Michigan caValry were and what they might expect in the future, 
and this the regiment made them understand and I'calize to the fullest ex- 
tent during the entire war. The 3d, after the surrender of Island No. 10 
to the Union forces under General Pope, joined the army in front of Corinth, 
and served there until its evacuation by the rebels. The regiment then en- 
tered on the campaign of General Grant in INIississippi and served under 
(general Rosecrans, encountering the enemy with much success in numerous 
engagements and skirmishes. At luka on September 19th, 1862, Avhile in 
command of Captain L. G. Wilcox, Col. Mizner, being chief of cavalry, it 
became conspicuously distinguished ; having the advance of the forces un- 
der General Hamilton, moving eastward on theTuscumbia road, it engaged 
the enemy in a most vigorous and dashing manner. Capt. Wilcox, in his 
report of the affair, says : 

* * * " At a late hour on the 18th instant, while encamped at Da- 
venport's Mills, near Jacinto, I directed company A, Captain Dyckman, to 
examine the luka road, running northeast from the JMills and midway be- 
tween the Tuscumbia and Burnsville roads, in order to determine the prac- 
ticability of moving wagon or artillery trains on the road, and whether any 
portion of the road was occupied by the enemy. 

" The reconnoissance was properly and promptly made, and the road found 
to be impracticable for moving trains, but passable for infantry and cavalry. 
The road was occupied by pickets, who fired upon the reconnoitering party. 

" At 4 o'clock on the following morning, pursuant to instructions from 
Col. Mizner, I took eight companies of my command, leaving four in camp, 
and proceeded in light marching order along the Tuscumbia road oast to 
its intersection with the Russellville road, about six miles east of Jacinto, 
where my command took the advance of General Hamilton's division and 
moved in the direction of Barnett's Corners. I had moved about two miles 
further when I found indications of the presence of rebel cavalry; the indi- 
cations were more marked as we proceeded, and as we arrived at the brow 
of the hill, about one half mile west of Barnett's, a volley was fired into the 
head of (lie column. The rebel force seemed well supported, and I inmie- 
diately dismounted twenty men and sent them, in command of Capt. Lati- 
mer, into the woods to the right. Twenty more were sent into a corn-field 
to the left in command of Lieut. Mix, and companies A and F, under Capt. 
Dyckman, were sent forward on the road. After a sharp skirmish of about 
fifteen minutes the rebels were driven from the woods, leaving one man 
killed and one horse ; also, one man, horse, and equipments were taken by 
Capt. Latimer. From this point (Barnett's) a running fight was kept up. 



THE THIRD CAVALRY. 271 

the rebels falling back to a branch of the Cripple Deer creek, distant about 
four miles. On arriving at tlic branch we found that tlie rebel cavalry had 
rallied at a house situated on an elevation four hundred yards distant and 
commanding the road. The advance, under Sergeant H. D. Cutting, com- 
pany K, charged up the road at full gallop and drove them from their po- 
sition into the woods ; but the enemy rallied, two squadrons strong, and 
forced the advance to retire. Sergeant Cutting's horse was shot, which was 
the only casualty occurring to my command in this instance. A number 
of shots were fired into the head of the column, killing a lieutenant on Gen. 
Hamilton's staff. I at once wheeled the cavalry into line ou the road side 
and uncovered a column of infantry, which moved to the front and deployed 
on cither side of the road, and drove the enemy from the cover of some 
buildings behind wliich they were sheltered. 

"A column of infantry then moved in advance, and position having been 
taken at a point about one and a half mile from luka, pursuant to orders 
received from Col. IMizner, I immediately moved with four companies, viz : 
Company K, Capt. Newell ; com])any E, Capt. Latimer ; company F, Capt. 
Kiese ; and company A, Capt. Dyckman, to the front, and moved out to 
the right of Constable's Ohio battery ; Lieut. Adams commanding the ad- 
vance guard. 

" After proceeding about one half mile, Lieut. Adams, perceiving a body 
of cavalry on a hill directly east of the battle-field, attacked and drove them 
away with considerable loss. I then formed my men behind the brow of 
tlu! hill, dismounted a portion, and poui'ed an irregular fire into the enemy's 
left flank and upon those who showed themselves in our front with consider- 
able cll'ect, twenty-two dead having been afterwards found, who must have 
fallen by our hands. During the time that we Avere in this position the en- 
emy occasionally gave us a heavy volume, but the nature of the ground was 
such that no casualties had occurred until near sundown, when the enemy 
seemed to manifest a disposition to gain our position. I immediately dis- 
mounted all the men that could be spared, sending the horses into the woods 
in our rear, and opened a destructive fire upon them. They immediately 
fell back, and made no further attempt to advance upon us. We took a 
first lieutenant, bearing the stand of colors belonging to the od Louisiana 
infantry. Capt. Latimer was wounded in the shoulder, also two privates 
slightly. Six horses were lost. After dark I moved my command to the 
left of the road, in rear of the infantry, Avhere I was joined by the other 
four companies of my command, which had been employed in reconnoiter- 
ing on either flank during the afternoon." 

General Rosecrans, ever ready to acknowledge the merits of the soldier 
as well as the officer, says in his report of this important battle: 

" During the action, five privates of the 3d Michigan cavalry, beyond our 
extreme right, opened fire, captured a rebel stand of colors, a captain and 
lieutenant, sent in the colors that night, alone held their prisoners during 
the night, and brought them in next morning." 

The battle of luka was sanguine, the firing heavy and rapid, and the 
ground was being hotly contested, when, night coming on, became masters 
of the lield, and closed the scene of carnage. IMorning revealed the fact 
that during the darkness of the night the enemy had left the field and was 
rapidly moving southward, while the Union troops made a vigorous pursuit 
for many miles, becoming several times hotly engaged, and causing him re- 
peatedly to form line of battle to check the Union advance. 

The 3d was actively occupied with the enemy after the affair of luka. 
Beinji; in eiiiracements at Corinth October 3d and 4th ; at Hatchie October 



272 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

6th; Huclsonville November 14th; Holly Springs November 19th ; Liim- 
kiu's Mills November 30th ; Oxford December 2d ; CofFeeville December 
6th ; Brownsville January 14t]i, 18Go ; Clifton February 20th ; Panola July 
20th; Grenada August 14th; Byhalia October 12th;"' and Wyatt's Ford, 
Tallahatchie river, October 13th. In addition to these principal engage- 
ments, the regiment has participated in a large number of skirmislies of 
minor importance. In the affair at Grenada the 3d was in the advance. 
It gained ])ossession of the town after a sharp engagement, and immediately 
commenced the destruction of the enemy's machinery and rolling stock ac- 
cumulated at this point. Over sixty locomotives and more than four hun- 
dred cars were destroyed. At Byhalia and Wyatt's Ford the regiment was 
warmly engaged. In these actions the enemy were completely routed with 
large loss. The 3d cavalry aided largely in driving the notorious rebels, 
Richardson, Dawson, and Cushman, from West Tennessee, together Avith 
numerous bands of guerrillas that infested that section, and who were de- 
stroyed or dispersed by it. 

During November and Decembei*, 1863, this regiment Avas almost con- 
stantly engaged in scouting and in various expeditions through Northern 
Mississippi and Western Tennessee, visiting most of the important places in 
that section. It had frequent encounters with the enemy's forces under 
Generals Forrest and Chalmers. Engagements and skirmishes in which the 
regiment participated occurred at Ripley, Mississippi, November 29th ; Ori- 
zaba, Mississippi, November 30th ; Ellistown, INIississippi, December 3d ; 
Purdy, Tennessee, December 22d ; and Jack's Creek, Tennessee, December 
24th. 

During the months of November, 1864, and February, 1865, this regi- 
ment constituted the garrison of the post at Brownsville Station, on the 
Memphis and Little Rock railroad, and Avas also occupied in scouting 
along the line of that road, making several expeditions as far south as 
Arkansas Post, on the Arkansas river, collecting large droA'^es of cattle, 
and thereby furnishing nearly all the beef required for the supply of the 
entire army then serving in the Department of Arkansas. At Brownsville 
Station the regiment erected a complete set of Avinter quarters and stables, 
so neatly and tastefully arranged as to present the appearance of an im- 
portant toAvn, Avhich attracted so much attention as to result in a change of 
its name from "BroAvnsville Station" to "Michigan City." The very 
active duty of the regiment at that time Avas so conducive to the health of 
the men that 1,008 Avere daily reported present for duty, and less than 
three per cent, were on the sick list. Early in February the regiment Avas 
selected to constitute part of a division then being organized for active and 
important service in early spring, and Avas assigned to the 1st brigade, 1st 
division, 7th army corps, and moved to BroAvnsville. On the 14th of 
]\Iarch the brigade Avas transferred from the Department of Arkansas to 
the Military Division of AVest Mississippi, to join the troops under Major- 
General Canby, designed to operate against Mobile, and the regiment pro- 
ceeded by steamer to New Orleans, arriving at Carrolton, La., INIarch 23d, 
and embarked for Mobile early in April. After the fall of ]\Iobile, it Avas 
employed on outpost duty until the surrender of the Confederate forces 
east of the Mississippi river, Avhen the regiment Avas selected as the escort 
of Major-General C'anby on the occasion of his receiving the formal sur- 
render of the rebel General Taylor and his army. It left jMobile oNIay 8, 
and marched across the country to Baton Rouge, La., reaching there on 
the 22d. When Major-General Sheridan assumed the command of the 
Military Division of the Southwest, the regiment Avas selected and ordered 



THE FOURTH CAVALRY. 273 

to report to him for duty, and was immediately prepared to join the expe- 
dition to Texas, and left Baton Rouge for Slireeveport, June 10th, and 
commenced its march into Texas from the latter place July 10th, travers- 
ing two-thirds the breadth of that State, arriving on the 2d of August at 
San Antonio. At that point the regiment was stationed, performing garri- 
son duty and employed in the necessary scouting for the protection of the 
frontier as far as the Rio Grande, on the Mexican border, and in furnishing 
escorts f )r supply trains. The regiment comprised a part of the 1st bri- 
gade, 1st cavalry division, Military Division of the Gulf, and had its head- 
quarters at San Antonio until February 15, 1866, when it was dismounted 
and mustered out of service. 

THE FOURTH CAVALRY. 

The Western rebel troops in the war were made to know the 4th Michi- 
gan cavalry, and undoubtedly most of them that are alive now have not 
forgotten them. The regiment was raised and organized by Col. R. II. G. 
Miuty, previously Lieutenant-Colonel 3d Michigan cavalry. Under his 
command it left the State for the field in Kentucky, September 26, 1862. 
It fought its first battle at Stanford, in that State, on the 14th of October 
following, and was thus early initiated into the realities of the great re- 
bellion. 

The 4th was in the advance in the att^ack on Morgan and his guerillas at 
Stanford, and joined in pursuit as far as Crab Orchard. It also led the 
attack on Lebanon, Ky., November 9, driving in Morgan's pickets at a 
gallop, and entered the town, 543 strong, two miles in advance of the in- 
fantry, driving out Morgan with 759 men and two pieces of artillery, and 
capturing a large amount of commissary stores and clothing. 

It was engaged at Rural Hill on the 15th, Baird's Mills on the 30th, 
Hollow Gap, December 4th, and at Wilson's Creek on the 11th. 

On the 13th of December the 4th marched from Nashville, where it had 
been stationed since the 28th of November, 1862, to Franklin, captured 
the rebel pickets, drove out the enemy, 1,300 strong, killed, wounded, and 
captured a number of them, with their colors, and destroyed an immense 
quantity of stores. On the 15th a detail of 40 men belonging to the regi- 
ment were captured on the jNIurfreesboro pike while, it was claimed, they 
were under the protection of a flag of truce. Breaking camp-on the 26th, 
the regiment moved in the extreme advance of the army from Nashville, 
and commenced the fighting at Lavergne. December 31st it had a sharp 
skirmish with a large force of the enemy's cavalry, which it repulsed and 
drove back, the 4th losing 3 killed and 7 wounded. The 4th was the first 
regiment to enter Murfreesboro, January 5, 1863. May 22d following, the 
regiment, with detachments of the 1st and 2d brigades (the 4th and two 
companies of U. vS. cavalry being in the advance,) charged into the camp 
of the 1st Alabama, 8th Confederate, and 2d Georgia cavalry, and, after 
a severe engagement, routed them, taking 55 jjrisouers, and destroying 
their camp equipage, stores, etc. The colors of the 1st Alabama (since 
presented to the State of jMichigan) were captured by Sergeant-Major 
Clark and Privates Wilcox and Parker, of the 4th Michigan. 

During its whole term of service it proved a most reliable and gallant 
regiment, deservedly proud of its fighting reputation, accomplishing an un- 
common amount of duty. The fighting of this regiment seems to have been 
so uniformly brave and effective that the colonel has found some diflftculty 
in selecting the engagements in which he considers it was most distinguished, 



274 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

as will appear from a special report to the Adjutant-General of the State, 
dated January 4, 1867, in which he states: 

" I find it rather a difficult matter to satisfactorily give you the informa- 
tion called for in your letter of the 20th ultimo. 

" The 4th Michigan cavalry has so often distinguished itself, both by the 
brilliancy of its charges and the stubbornness bf its fighting, that I doubt 
if you will find two men agree on the two engagements in which it was most 
distinguished. 

"Some would claim Stone River where it charged three times, each time 
driving a brigade of rebel cavalry from the field ; others, some of the many 
'raids' around Murfreesboro', where the sabre charges of the 4th Michi- 
gan and 7th Pennsylvania were the admiration of the entire Army of the 
Cumberland ; others, the fight with Dibrell's brigade at Sparta and Sper- 
ry's IMill, on the 9th aud 17th of August, 1863, or the hard day's fighting 
at Reed's Bridge, near Chicamauga, on the 18th of September, where the 
4th ]\Iichigan, 7th Pennsylvania, and 4th regular cavalry (973 of all ranks) 
fought the entire of Hood's corps from 7 o'clock in the morning until 5 
o'clock in the evening, leaving 102 rebel dead within one hundred yards 
of the eastern end of the bridge, and preventing the carrying out of Bragg's 
order of battle of that date, the first part of which reads : — ' 1. Johnson's 
column (Hood's) on crossing at or near Reed's Bridge will turn to the left 
by the most pi-acticable route, and sweep up the Chicamauga towards Lee 
& Gordon's mills.' 

"Some agaip would claim Lovejoy's Station, Ga., on the 20th of August, 
1864, where the same little brigade, then numbering under 800 men, scat- 
tered Ross's Texan brigade, sabering over 500 of them. 

"After considering the subject fully, I selected Shelbyville, Tenn., on the 
27th of June, 1863, and Latimer's Mill, Ga., on June 20, 1864. At both 
these places the success of my brigade was mainly attributable to the bril- 
liancy and tenacity of the fighting of the 4th JNIichigan cavalry, then under 
command of Major F. W. Mix. 

"At Shelbyville I found myself with a force of 1500 men in front of for- 
midable breastworks, with an abatis of over one-fourth of a mile in width 
in front of them, behind which Generals Wheeler and JNIartin had an op- 
posing force of 4,000 men, and three pieces of artillery. I detached the 
4th Michigan, in command of Major ^lix, well to the right, with orders to 
force their way through the abatis, and assault the works, and if successful 
to turn to thS right and sweep up the entrenchments, promising that so soon 
as I heard their rifles speaking, I would make the direct assault on the 
Murfreesboro' and Shelbyville pike. They did their work so well that as I 
entered the works on the main road they joined me from the right, having 
carried the works and taken prisoners from six different regiments. The 
fruits of that day's work were the whole of the enemy's artillery and 599 
prisoners, while over 200 dead bodies were afterwards taken out of Duck 
creek, into which I had driven Wheeler and his entire command." 

The loss of the regiment was only seven wounded and nine prisoners. 

The important part taken by the 4th cavalry in the great battle of Chica- 
mauga, while in command of Major Mix, warrants it in being placed among 
the many engagements in which that regiment distinguished itself 

In Col. Minty's report of the part taken by his command from the 13th 
to the 24th September, 1863, including the battle of Chicamauga, he 
says : 

"September 13th. — With the 4th U. S. cavalry, 4th Michigan cavalry, 
7th Pennsylvania cavalry, and one section of the Chicago Board of Trade 



THE FOURTH CAVALRY. 275 

battery, I marched from Chattanooga, and reported to Major-Gen. Critten- 
den, commanding 21st army corps, at Gordon's Mill. 

" September 14th. — Under orders from Major-Gen. Crittenden, I crossed 
Missionary Ridge into Lookout Valley. 

"September 15th. — j\Iarched back to Gordon's IMill, where Gen. Critten- 
den ordered me to proceed to Pea Vine Valley, and encamped near Leet's 
Cross-roads. I crossed the Chicamauga at Reed's Bridge, and shortly be- 
fore dark encamped on Pea Vine creek, near Peeler's Mill, and sent out 
scouts towards Grayvillc, Ringold, Leet's, and Rock Springs. Same night 
I reported to ]\Iajor-General Crittenden the information brought by these 
parties, and in answer received a letter from Capt. Oldershaw, A. A. G., 
21st army corps, of Avhich the following is an extract : ' The major-general 
commanding directs me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this 
date, informing him that Forrest is at Ringold, Longstreet at Dalton, Pe- 
gram at Leet's, and Buckner at Rock Springs ; all this would indicate in- 
fantry, which the major-general cannot believe.' 

" September 1 6th. — Strong scouting parties advanced towards me from Ring- 
old and Leet's ; they were promptly met, driven, and followed. At the same 
time my pickets on the Lafayette and Harrison road, which lies between Pea 
Vine Ridge and the Chicamauga, were attacked from towards Lafiiyette, 
thus threatening my communications via Reed's Bridge. I immediately 
fell back to that road, thus securing the bridge, but at the same time I kept 
])ossession of the roads in Pea Vine Valley by picketing strongly. I\[y 
scouts towards Leet's ran into the rebel infantry and lost one man shot 
through the head. This was promptly reported to Major-General Critten- 
den, whose answer was' the same as yesterday, viz : ' Nothing but dismounted 
cavalry.' 

" September 17th. — Slight skirmishing between my scouts and those of 
the enemy. The scout from Grayville reported that General Steadman's 
brigade of the reserve corps had passed through that place on a reconnois- 
sance towards Ringold. On the return of my courier from Gordon's ^lill 
he reported Col. Wilder's brigade of mounted infantry was encamped on 
the west side of the Chicamauga creek, at Alexander's Bridge, about two 
miles above me. 

" September 18th.— At G A. M. I sent one hundred of the 4th U. S. cav- 
alry towards Leet's, and one hundred fron\ the 4th Michigan and 7th Penn- 
sylvania towards Ringold. At about 7 A. M. couriers arrived from both 
scouts, with information that the enemy was advancing in force. I imme- 
diately sti'engthened my pickets on the Lafayette road, and moved forward 
with the 4th Michigan and oue battalion of the 4th regulars and the section 
of artillery and took up a jiosition on the eastern slope of Pea Vine Ridge, 
and despatched couriers to Major-General Granger at Rossville, Colonel 
Wilder at Alexander's Bridge, General Wood at Gordon's j\Iill, and Gen. 
Crittenden at Crawfish Springs. On this day the 4th Michigan lost eleven 
in killed and wounded and three as prisoners. The enemy, infantry in 
f )rce with about 200 cavalry, advanced steadily, driving my skirmish line 
back to my position on the side of the ridge. The head of a column getting 
into good range I opened on them with the artillery, when they immediately 
deployed and advanced a strong skirmish line. At this moment I observed 
a heavy column of dust moving from the direction of Graysville towards 
Dyer's Ford ; I sent a courier to Col. Wilder asking him to send a force to 
hold the ford and cover my left, and sent my train across the creek. As 
the force from Grayville advanced I fell back until I arrived on the ground 
I had occupied in the morning. Here Col. Miller, with two regiments and 



276 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

two mountain howitzers, reported to me from Col. Wilder's brigade. I di- 
rected Col. ]\Iillei- to take possession of the ford, and again advanced and 
drove the rebel skirmish line over the ridge and back on their line of battle 
in the valley, where a force was in position, which I estimated at 7,000 men. 
Thirteen sets of regimental colors were visible. 

" The rebel line advanced, and I was steadily driven back across the 
ridge. My only means of crossing the creek was Reed's Bridge, a narrow, 
frail structure, which was covered with loose boards and fence rails, and a 
bad ford about three hundred yards higher up. I masked my artillery be- 
hind some shrubs near the ford, leaving one battalion of the 4th regulars to 
support it, and ordering the remainder of that regiment to cross the bridge, 
holding the 4th Michigan and 7th Pennsylvania in line to cover the move- 
ment. Before the tirst squadron had time to cross the head of a rebel col- 
umn carrying their arms at ' right shoulder shift,' and moving at the double 
quick, as steadily as if at drill, came through the gap not five hundred yards 
from the bridge. The artillery opening on them from an unexpected quar- 
ter evidently took them by surprise, and immediately checked their ad- 
vance, again causing them to deploy. The 4th Michigan followed the 4th 
regulars, and the 7th Pennsylvania the 4th Michigan. One squadron of 
the 4th regulars, under Lieut. Davis, most gallantly covering the crossing 
of the 7th Pennsylvania. One squadron of the 4th Michigan, under Lieut. 
Simpson, on picket on the Harrison road, was cut off" by the rapid advance 
of the enemy ; they made a gallant resistance, and eventually swam the 
creek without the loss of a man. The artillery crossed the ford in safety, 
and I placed it in position to dispute the crossing of the bridge, from which 
Lieut. Davis's men had thrown most of the loose planking. Here I was 
soon hotly engaged and was holding the rebels in check, when I received a 
note from the officer in charge of my wagon train (which 1 had sent back 
to Gordon's Mill) stating ' Col. AVilder has fallen back from Alexander's 
Bridge; he is retreating towards Gordon's ISIills, and the enemy is crossing 
the river in force at all points.' I sent an order to Col. Miller to join me 
without delay; and on his arrival I fell back to Gordon's Mill, skirmishing 
with the enemy, who followed me closely. With less than 1,000 men, the 
old 'first brigade' had disputed the advance of 7,000 from 7 o'clock in the 
morning until 5 o'clock in the evening, and during that time fell back only 
five miles. On arriving at Gordon's Mill my men were dismounted, and, 
with Col. Wilder's brigade and a brigade from Gen. Van Cleve's division, 
repulsed a heavy attack about 8 o'clock P. M. We lay iu positicm all night 
within hearing of the enemy and were without fires, although the night was 
bitterly cold. At break of day General Palmer's division relieved us. I 
then moved to the rear and procured forage for our horses and ratitms for 
the men, who had been entirely without since the previous morning. 

" Sei)tem!)er 19th. — INIoved along the rear to the left to protect the trains 
moving into Chattanooga. Camped near Rossville. 

" Sei)tember 20th. — Under orders from Major-General Granger, I march- 
ed to the ford at Missionary Mills, and sent strong ])atrols to Chicamauga 
Station and Graysville without meeting the enemy. Towards the afternoon 
I received orders from General Granger to take possession of the position 
then occupied by him on the Ringold and Rossville road. On arriving on 
the ground I found that General Granger had already marched to the as- 
sistance of General Thomas. Being anxious to know what was in front of 
me, I pushed ft)rward towards Red House Bridge, and found Scott's brigade 
of cavalry and mounted infantry, about 1,500 strong, moving into position 
on our side of the creek. I immediately attacked them, and after a spirited 



THE FOURTFI CAVALRY. 277 

skirmish of about uii hour's duration drove them across the creek, Avith con- 
siderable loss. 

" September 21st. — During the night General Thomas fell back to the 
heights of Missionary Ridge at Rossville, and this morning I found myself 
about two miles directly in front of his line of battle. The rebels advanced 
in three columns from the direction of Missionary JNlills, lied House Bridge, 
and Dyer's Ford. I skirmished with their advance for a cou})le of hours, 
and then fell back to Rossville, with a loss of one officer an<l seven men 
killed and one officer and thirteen men wounded. I was then ordered to 
the left to watch the movements of the enemy. 

" September 22d. — Under orders from Major-General Thomas, the 4th 
regulars moved during the night to Rossville and took possession of the gap 
vacated by our retiring infantry. At (i A. M. I heard firing in the direc- 
tion of Rossville ; leaving strong pickets in the passes over the ridge I moved 
forward with the 7th Pennsylvania and 4th Michigan to su])port the 4th 
regulars, but found that Capt. Mclntire had judiciously fallen back, the 
enemy having turned his flank by advancing on the road from Gordon's 
Mills. I retired to Chattanooga, skirmishing sharply. 

"September 23d. — With the od Pennsylvania and 4th Michigan I worked 
in the trenches all night, and at 4 A. M. crossed the Tennessee river and 
encamj)ed at Oposum creek, from whence I picketed the river from Wash- 
ington to Sandy Shoals. 

" The loss in my brigade from the day I was detached from the division 
until I crossed the Tennessee river on the 24th was under 100 men, of whom 
only 15 were missing, and of those 15, 9 are known to be either killed or 
wounded ; while during that time, in prisoners alone, I took from the enemy 
439 men." 

Colonel Minty, in calling the attention of the commanding General to 
the gallant conduct in the battle of Chicamauga of certain officers of his 
brigade whom he considered entitled to special mention, says of Lieutenant 
Simpson, 4th JNIichigan cavalry : 

" Lieutenant J. IL Simpson, 4th ^Michigan cavalry, commanded the 
squadron of his regiment on picket on the Harrison Road, on the 18th, 
which was cut off Ity the nipid advance of the enemy. After fighting as 
long as he possibly could, he swam the Chicamauga and brought in his 
squadron, with no casualties but one man and one horse slightly wounded." 
On the oOth, the regiment, in command of Major Horace Gray, having 
been ordered to Cotton's Ferry, on the Tennessee river, ta support a bat- 
talion of U. S. cavalry, it was attacked and driven back by a large body 
of Wheeler's rebel cavalry, who had crossed the river. Plere Lieutenant 
Edward Tucker was mortally wounded, and died at Chattanooga on the 
7th of October following. 

On the 1st of October it again had a skirmish with Wheeler's cavalry, 
who was engaged in making a raid on the conmiunication of the army. 
The 4th participated in the pursuit of Wheeler, and on the 3d skirmished 
with his rear-guard. 

On the 28th oi March, 1864, excepting a detachment of 128 mounted 
men, the 4th proceeded, via Chattanooga and Stevenson, to Nashville, 
where it arrived on the 31st. It here received new horses and equipments 
and was armed with the Spencer carbine. On the 14th of April the regi- 
ment marched to Columbia, Tenn., where it joined the 2d cavalry division. 
]\Iarching from this place with 878 men present, on the 30th, the regiment 
proceeded through Shelhyville and Tullahoma, and over the Cumberland 
mountains to Bridgeport, Ala., thence crossed the Raccoon, Lookout, and 



•278 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Pigeon mountains to Lafayette, and thence across Taylor's Ridge, to 
Villanon, Ga., where it arrived May 10th. On the 15th the command 
attacked the enemy's cavalry at Tanner's Bridge, nine miles from Rome, 
routing and pursuing them seven miles, when meeting a superior force with 
artillery, it retired, the regiment having lost in the affair wounded and 4 
missing, and captured a number of prisoners. From "Woodland, on the 
18Lh, seven companies were sent towards Kingston on a reconnoissance. 
Meeting rebel cavalry, the detachment drove them for some miles, and until 
it encountered a force of rel>el infantry in front. The enemy's cavalry 
then threw themselves on its flanks and rear, and nearly enveloped the de- 
tachment, but it finally succeeded in cutting its way through with the loss 
of 24 in killed, wounded and missing. Among the wounded was Lieu- 
tenant Randolph, mortally, who died on the 30tli of that month. 

Colonel Minty,. in his report to the Adjutant-General of the State already 
referred to, says, regarding the operations of his command at Lattimer's 
Mill, on Noonday creek: 

"To give you some idea of the magnitude of the fight at Lattimer's Mill, 
I hand you herewith a copy of a supplementary report of the battle, made 
by me as brigade commander, on the 7th July, 1864, to Captain R. P. 
Kennedy, Assistant Adjutant-General, and which is as follows : 

" I beg to hand you the following extracts from a letter published at 
Atlanta, Ga., in the afternoon edition of the Memphis Appeal of the 25th 
June, 1864, as a supplementary report of the fight at Lattimer's Mill, on 
the 20th June : 

'"On the 20th instant, two divisions — Kelly's and Martin's — and one 
brigade — Williams' — of our cavalry, went round to the left flank and rear 
of Sherman's army, it was said, to capture a brigade of Yankee cavalry, 
stationed at JNIcAfee's. We succeeded in getting to the right place, where 
the enemy — Minty 's brigade — was vigorously attacked by Williams and 
a portion of Anderson's brigade. After a sharp conflict the enemy were 
driven from the field, Ilannon's brigade having come up and attacked 
them on the flank. The Yankees fought desperately and fell back slowly, 
with what loss we are unable to ascertain, as they carried off' their wounded 
and most of their dead. To one who was an eye-witness, but not an adept 
in the ' art of war,' it seemed very strange that the whole Yankee force 
was not surrounded and captured. Dibrell's brigade was drawn up a few 
hundred yards from and in full view of the battle-field, with Martin's whole 
division immediately in the rear. This is one of the best fighting brigades 
the Yankees have, and to have captured or routed it would have i>,dded a 
bright feather to the plume of the successful hero accomplishing the feat. 
After he (Minty) had been driven from his first position, Martin's whole 
division was brought up, and lost several men of Allen's brigade. Briga- 
dier-General Allen had his horse shot. The 8th Confederate and 5th 
Georgia, of Anderson's brigade, lost several killed and wounded. Wil- 
liams' Kentucky brigade lost several good soldiers.' " 

Colonel Minty adds in his report: "According to the above, there was 
the following rebel force in the field : Kelly's and Martin's divisions, con- 
sisting of the brigades of Anderson, (six regiments,) Hannou's, (five regi- 
ments,) Allen's, (five regiments,) and Johnson's, (five regiments,) and the 
independent brigades of Williams and Dibrell, composed of five regiments 
each, say in all twelve regiments, with an averagcof 300 — 3,600; the 5th 
Georgia nund)ered over 800. The entire force I had engaged was 7th 
Peunsylvania, 170 men, and 4th Micliigan, 283 — in all 453. These few 
men held their ground against the repeated assaults of the enemy for over 



THE FOURTH CAVALRY. 279 

two lionra, and when I ordered them to full back, they retired slowly, in 
good order. I beg to call the attention of the General commanding to the 
heavy loss sustained by this small force. In a loss of over twelve per cent, 
the very small proportion reported missing shows how steadily and stub- 
bornly they fought." 

General JNIinty adds in a note to this report: "My loss in this engage- 
ment was 2 ofiicers and 65 men. The Marietta (Ga.) papers acknowledge 
a loss of 94 killed and 851 wounded. Two battalions 4th Michigan re- 
pulsed three sabre charges, made by the 8th Confederate and 5th Georgia, 
numbering over 1,000 men, and one battalion, led by Captain Hathaway, 
repulsed a charge made by Williams' Kentucky Brigade, by a counter 
charge." 

The 4th Michigan lost 37 killed and wounded and 3 missing, including 
among the killed Lieutenant T. W. Sutton. 

Having crossed the Chattahoochie river, the regiment, in command of 
Major Mix, on the 18th of July, 1864, participated in a raid on the Atlanta 
and Augusta railroad, and destroyed the track for several miles. From 
the 22d to the 24th it was engaged in a raid on Covington, on the same 
railroad, and in destroying the bridges and track. On the 27th the com- 
mand marched through Decatur, covering the " Stoneraan raid." Encamp- 
ing at Flat Shoals, it was there surrounded by the rebel cavalry, but on 
the 28th succeeded in cutting its way through, and fell back to Lithonia, 
on the Augusta railroad. From the'lsl to the 14th of August the 4th was 
employed as infantry, occupying a j^ortion of the trenches in front of At- 
lanta that had been vacated by the 23d corps. 

The 4th, still in command of Major Mix, composed a part of General 
Kil Patrick's force while on his celebrated raid around the rebel array then 
defending Atlanta. This force consisted of the 3d division of cavalry, about 
2,500 strong, commanded in person by General Kilpatrick, Minty's and 
Long's brigades of the 2d cavalry division, numbering about 2,554, with 
two sections of the Chicago Board of Trade battery, in command of Lieut. 
Robinson. Kilpatrick made a complete circuit, occupying four days, fight- 
ing almost the entire time superior numbers, and whipping them with half 
their force. General Garrard, of the 2d division did not accompany the 
expedition, consequently, Col. Minty, of the 4th Michigan, then the ranking 
colonel, took command of the brigades of that division. 

At 1 o'clock, on the morning of the 18th of August, Minty's command 
broke camp and left our lines for the rendezvous of the expedition at Sand- 
town, arriving there at 6 A. M. The movement was commenced under 
cover of darkness, to prevent, if possible, any information being obtained by 
the enemy ; yet, a rebel letter, captured on the 20th, dated at Atlanta on 
the 18th, gave the number of IMiuty's command, and the destination of the 
raiders. On the morning of the 19th, Minty reported to General Kilpat- 
rick at Sandtown, and received his orders, and that night the command 
moved off on their bold undertaking, the 3d division in the advance, skir- 
mishing all the way, until the West Point railroad was reached near Fair- 
bern, where the first rebel assault was made. The enemy struck the column 
on the left flank, with artillery and dismounted cavalry, with so much force 
as to cut the 7th Pennsylvania, in command of Major Jennings, in two, but 
were immediately reinforced by the 4th Michigan, commanded by IMajor 
Mix, when a vigorous and irresistible attack was made on the enemy driving 
him from the ground in great disorder. Pursuing the rebel force to Flint 
river, it was found that the bridge had been destroyed, the stream deep, 
and bottom bad for crossing, while Ross and Furgerson's brigades of cav- 



280 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

airy presented a bold front on the east bank, and with artillery disputed 
the passage. The artillery was promptly in position, and soon silenced the 
rebel batteries ; instantly the 1st, 3d, and 4th Ohio and 4th Michigan cav- 
alry dismounted, formed in line, and under cover of a destructive fire of 
grape and canister directed on the rebel rifle pits, and with a yell, dashed 
forward on the double-quick to the bank of the livcr, where a deadly fire 
was poured into the rebels at short range, dislodging their sharp-shooters, 
when the column crossed the river on the stringers of the burned bridge, 
leaving the 7th Pennsylvania, one section of artillery, and the led horses on 
the west bank. Minty, with his command dismounted, then advanced on 
Jonesboro, the 4th Michigan being deployed as skirmishers, 1st Ohio, 4th 
U. S., in line, Avith one section of artillery in the centre, and the 3d and 4th 
Ohio following in column, driving Ross and Ferguson into town where they 
took shelter in the houses, and opened a sharp fire. While Minty was get- 
ting his artillery in position to riddle the buildings, the rebels mounted their 
horses and vacated in disorder. The 3d division was then cjuickly brought 
up, and the destruction of the town commenced, two-thirds of it being de- 
stroyed by fire. 

While this was being done, Ferguson and Ross were reinforced by 
a brigade of infantry, and took a position near Kilpatrick's forces, en- 
trenching themselves by felling timber, &c. Kilpatrick's main object 
being to destroy the railway, and not whipping the enemy, except when 
necessary in the execution of his purpose, that same night left Jonesboro. 
Striking east about five miles, he then marched direct for Lovejoy's Station, 
on the Slacon road. At daybreak the next morning his flight from Jones- 
boro was discovered by the enemy, who started in pursuit with his cavalry. 
At one and a half miles from Lovejoy's Station, the 2d division in the ad- 
vance, Minty's brigade leading, followed by Long's, the 4th Michigan was 
detached, with orders to gain possession of and destroy the railroad ; and 
was engaged in tearing up the track, when the column moving down the 
direct road to the station encountered the enemy's mounted pickets, who 
were driven in by the 7th Pennsylvania in fine style ; but skirmishing was 
continued until within a (juarter of a mile of the station, where the force 
was dismounted. In the meantime the 4tli U. S. cavalry had been sent to 
reinforce the 7th Pennsylvania, but before their line was fairly formed a 
whole rebel infantry brigade, which was lying in ambush without skirmish- 
ers out,, poured into the ranks a terrific volley, and with yells rushed over 
the small party, killing, Avounding, and taking prisoners nearly the entire 
party, Avho fought bravely until their arms were wrested from them. Long's 
brigade was immediately formed, artillery placed in position, and the rebels 
were quickly rej)uls('d, with severe loss. Scarcely had this been accom- 
plished when a whole division of rebel cavalry, (Jackson's,) 5,000 strong, 
composed of Armstrong's, Ferguson's, and Ross's brigades, were seen com- 
ing down on the left and rear on the keen run, accompanied by ten pieces 
of artillery. Cleburn's division of cavalry, 10,000 strong, was advancing 
rapidly on the right and front, while Reynolds, with seven regiments of in- 
fantry, was coming in quickly on the left and front. Before Kil pa trick 
had time to learn what was coming, a spirited attack was made on the rear, 
but he soon comprehended the situation, flinty 's brigade was instantly 
withdrawn and hastily formed in line in column of regiments. The 7th 
Pennsylvania, Major Jennings, on the right; 4th Michigan, Major i\Iix, in 
the centre, and the 4th U. S., Captain Mclntire, on the left ; Long's brigade 
was fiirmed in rear, and the 3d division was formed on the left of the road. 
The advancing enemy was immediately most gallantly attacked by a charge 



THE FOURTH CAVALRY. 281 

of Minty's brigade, which is described by a correspondent of the Cincinnati 
Commercial as follows : 

" Wliile the various regiments were being manoeuvred into position to 
meet the onslaught of the rebels, who were sweeping down u[)on them, the 
men had time to comprehend the danger that surrounded them — rebels to 
the right of them, rebels to the left of them, rebels in rear of them, rebels 
in front of them — surrounded ; there was no salvation but to cut their way 
out. Visions of Libby Prison and starvation flitted through their imagi- 
nation, and they saw that the deadly conflict could not be avoided. Placing 
himself at the head of his brigade, the gallant and fearless ISlinty drew his 
sabre, and his voice rung out clear and loud : 'Attention, column ! forward, 
trot ; regulate by the centre regiment ; march, gallop, march !' and away 
the brigade went with a yell that echoed away across the valleys. 

"The ground from which the start was made, and over which they 
charged, was a plantation of about two square miles, thickly strewn with 
patches of woods, deep water cuts, fences, ditches, and morasses. At the 
word away went the bold dragoons, at the height of their speefl. Fences 
were jumped and ditches Avere no impediment. The rattle of the sabres 
mingled with tliat of the mess kettles and frying-pans that jingled at the 
side of the pack mule brigade, which were madly puslied forward by the 
frightened darkies who straddled them. Charging for their lives and yell- 
ing like devils, Minty and his troopers encountered the rebels behind a 
hastily constructed barricade of rails., Pressing their rowels deep into 
their horses flanks, and raising their sabres aloft, on, on, on, nearer and 
nearer to the rebels they plunged. The terror-stricken enemy could not 
withstand the thunderous wave of men and horse that threatened to engulf 
them. They broke and ran just as Minty and his troopers were urging 
their horses for the decisive blow. In an instant all was confusion. The 
yells of the horsemen were drowned in the clashing of steel and the groans 
of the dying. On pressed JNIinty in pursuit, his men's sabres striking right 
and left, and cutting down everything in their path. The rebel horsemen 
were seen to reel and pitch headlong to the earth, Avhile their frightened 
steeds rushed pell-mell over their bodies. J\lany of the rebels defended 
themselves with almost superhuman strength ; yet it was al> in vain. The 
charge of Federal steel was irresistible. The heads and limbs of some of 
the rebels were actually severed from their bodies, the head of the rider 
falling on one side of the horse, the lifeless trunk upon the other. 

" The individual instances of heroism were many. Hardly a man flinched, 
and when the brigade came out more than half the sabres were stained with 
human blood. 

"It was, all admit, one of the finest charges of the war. Fully one hun- 
dred men fell under the keen sabres of Minty's brigade. The {)raises of 
Minty and his command are upon every tongue. The 4th U. S., 4t]i iMich- 
igan, 1st, 3d, and 4th Ohio regiments charged over a rebel battery of three 
guns on the left of the road ; but no sooner had our men passed than the 
rebels again seized the cannon, and reversing them, poured grape and canis- 
ter into the charging columns. General Kilpatrick, seeing this, with his 
staft' and others, about thirty in all, moved forward to capture the guns; 
but found a higli staked-and-ridered fence between him and the battery. 
Seeing the predicament in which the general was. Private William Bailey, 
a young Tennessean belonging to company I, 4th ]\Iichigan, an orderly to 
Colonel flinty, coolly rode up to the fence, dismounted in face of a severe 
fire, tore down the fence, remounted, rode up to the battery, shot the cap- 
tain, took possession of the horse and arms, and rode out. He was imme- 

R* 



2^2 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

diately followed by a party of men who captured the battery and spiked 
the guns. In the charge Minty's brigade captured three stand of colors. 
The 4th U. S. taking two and the 4th Michigan one." 

The position of General Kilpatrick's force, and the overpowering numbers 
opposing him, rendered his condition most critical, leaving him to choose 
between surrender or almost certain annihilation in the effort to extricate 
himself He chose the latter, and was relieved from his dilemma by the 
gallant fighting of Minty's brigade, and thus enabled to accomplish success- 
fully the object of the expedition. 

The casualties in the brigade and the Chicago Board of Trade battery on 
this raid were 1 officer and 32 men killed, G oflicers and 92 men wounded, 
3 officers and 20 men missing, (wounded,) and 4 officers and 48 men missing. 

The casualties in Minty's brigade during the campaign, ending in the 
occupation of Atlanta, were 2 officei-s and 44 men killed, officers and 106 
men wounded, and 7 officers and 83 men missing. 

The regiment arrived at Lithonia on the 21st, having made a circuit 
around Atlanta, and been in the saddle and almost constantly engaged 
since its departure from Sandtown on the 18th, the marches having been 
made over roads that had become very rough from heavy rains. From 
Lithonia the regiment returned to vSandtown. Marching thence through 
Atlanta, it crossed the Chattahoochie river on the 19th, and encamped near 
Roswell. Less than 150 mounted men were present at this time for duty. 
A detail of 50 men, sent out as guard for a foraging train from Roswell, 
were attacked by a force estimated at over four times their number ; but, 
after a sharp conflict, the detachment repulsed the enemy, its loss being 
only one wounded and two missing. On the 1st of October the regiment 
again returned to Sandtown, and on the 2d and 3d engaged the enemy for 
several hours on each day, on Sweetwater creek, but with slight loss. On 
the 4th the regiment arrived at Marietta, where it joined the 2d cavalry 
division, and moved with it in pursuit of the rebel army, then engaged in 
its northward movement to the Tennessee river. The command skirmished 
with the enemy for several hours on the 5th, and on the following day the 
rebels having vacated their position, the command attacked their rear 
guard and captured a brigadier general and colonel, with other prisoners. 
The enemy having moved to Dallas and occupied their old works at that 
place, were attacked by the command and driven out. On the 10th the 
command was engaged near Rome, and on the 12th crossed the Ostewaula 
river and attacked the rebel force, but after driving them several miles the 
latter opened with artillery, and the command retired. On the 13th the 
enemy were again attacked and two pieces of artillery and a large number 
of prisoners taken from them. Recrossing the Ostewaula river, tlie regi- 
ment marched through Rome, Kingston, and Adairsville, to Resaca, thence 
via Summersville and Galesville, Ala., to Little river, where, on the 20th, 
it engaged General Wheeler's cavalry, forcing them to retire. The dis- 
mounted men had from time to time been sent to the rear, and with the 
exception of 217 sent to Chattanooga, were employed in garrisoning the 
block-houses on the railroad between Nashville and Huntsville. On the 
17th of September, Corporal Charles M. Bickford and 17 men of the regi- 
ment, in a bU)ck-house, were attacked by the rebel cavalry under General 
Wheeler, numbering over 8,000, with artillery. Although the enemy shelled 
the block-house for over five hours, they could not force a surrender, and 
finally retired with a loss of 8 killed and 60 wounded. The corporal was 
promoted to be a commissioned ofiicer, and the names of the men were hon- 
orably mentioned in general orders. 



THE FOURTH CAVALIIY. 283 

The regiment, in command of Lieut. Col. B. F. Pritchard, was at Gravel- 
ly Springs, Ala., during the mouth of February and part of March, 1865. 
During the early part of March preparations had been made for active ser- 
vice, and on the Tith tlu; command broke camp at 12 P. M. and reached 
Waterloo on the 13th, cro.ssing the Tennessee river to Eastport, Miss. It 
remained there until the 22d, and then conmienced its march southward, 
over mountains, crossing rivers and creeks and through swamps, building 
miles of corduroy road, reaching the Black Warrior river on the 29th, and 
which was that day crossed by swimming the horses, losing one man and 
between thirty and forty horses. During the night the Locust was crossed 
in tlic same numner. On the olst the command crossed Shades creek and 
the C'ahawba river, passing the battery over the railroad bridge after it had 
been laid with ties, losing five or six mules and horses by their tumbling 
over the narrow bridge and falling nearly a hundred feet, killing them in- 
stantly. The brigade to which the regiment was attached being in the rear 
of its division, the 2d, the 4th division having the advance, became engaged 
with Forrest's command, and had a sharp fight on the 1st of April near 
Mulberry creek, capturing three pieces of artillery. On the same day the 
regiment, with its brigade, crossed the Big Mulberry and about midnight 
encamped at Plantersville. On the 2d the brigade, being in the advance, 
started at 4 o'clock A. M. on the direct road to Sehna, distant about twenty 
miles, reaching the fortifications in front of that place at 2 P. M. on the 
same day. They were found to be stronger and more perfect than those at 
Atlanta, consisting of an inner line of redans and redoubts, mounted with 
12-pounder howitzers and 20-pounder Parrots. The main and outer line, 
which extended entirely around the city from river to river, consisted of 
twenty-five redoubts or bastions connected by curtains, the parapet being 
about twelve feet high and surrounded by a ditch and well-built palisade, 
in frcmt of which was swampy ground partially covered with abattis. These 
works were defended by General Forrest, with a force estimated at nine 
thousand. The 2d division, in which was the 4th Michigan, was ordered 
to assault the works on the Summerville road and the 4th division those on 
the Plantersville road. About the time the assault was to take ])lace the 
rear of the 2d division was attacked by Chalmer's division of rebel cavalry. 
The 3d Ohio and 72d Indiana, with a portion of the 98th Illinois, were im- 
mediately detached to hold them in check, leaving in the 2d division only 
about 1,483 men to make the assault. It, however, moved forward under a 
terrific fire, going at the work with a cheer, and had possession of the main 
line in twenty minutes, losing in that brief space of time 324 in killed and 
wounded. General Long, commanding the division, had been shot in the 
head shortly after the division moved to the assault. Colonel Minty, of the 
4th Michigan, assuming command, leading the division in the assault, and 
is reported to have been the first man to get inside the works alive ; Corpo- 
ral Booth, company A, 4th Ohio cavalry, being killed as he entered the 
works just ahead of Col. IMinty. The rebels were soon swept from the main 
line of works, and then the inner line of redans was carried in detail by 
assault, and possession had been gained of the entire iiuier line when the 
4th division reached the outer works. The result of this gallant afi'air was 
the capture of the city, with twenty-five pieces of artillery in position, be- 
sides seventy-five pieces in the navy-yard, with a large amount of amnui- 
nition and stores, together with other property, and twenty-eight hundred 
prisoners. 

On the 7th of May Lieut. Col. Pritchard was directed by Col. IMinty to 
proceed with the regiment as rapidly as possible to Spauldiug, in Irwin 



284 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

county, and picket the Ocmulgee river from Hawkinsville to the mouth of 
the Oconee river, for the purpose of preventing the escape of Jefferson Davis, 
who was then supposed to be making his way to the Atlantic coast, and if 
he got on his track to follow him wherever he went, and to capture or kill 
him without fail. At Abbyville he became satisfied that Davis had already 
crossed the Ocmulgee, and ascertained that the 1st Wisconsin cavalry Avas 
following him closely in the direction of Irwinsville. With one hundred and 
fifty-three of the best mounted men of the regiment he followed the line of 
the Ocmulgee for some miles, and then took a bridle path or blind road 
through the woods towards Irwinsville, and arrived at that place about 2 
o'clock A. M. on the 10th, and found that Davis had not yet passed. Pre- 
tending to be a part of his escort. Col. Pritchard gained information from 
a rebel citizen that Davis was encamped in the woods al)out three-fourths 
of a mile north of the town. The camp was at once surrounded, and at 
about 3 o'clock A. M. the force closed in and captured him and his party, 
Davis attempted to escape, disguised in his wife's travelling cloak, with a 
shawl thrown over his head, but private Adrian Bee, of company L, and 
Corporal Hunger, of company C, espied his military boots beneath his femi- 
nine attire and commanded him to halt. The following morning, while en 
route for Macon with the captives, information was received of the proflered 
reward of 6100,000 for his capture. On arriving at Macon Col. Pritchard, 
Capt. Hudson, Lieut. Stauber, and Lieut. Purinton, with twenty-two men, 
were detailed to escort Davis to Washington, D. C. The regiment remain- 
ed at Macon until the 21st, when it was started en route for home, feeling 
that in the capture of Jeff. Davis it had finished its work. 

Note. — In the account given in the annals of the Army of the Cumberland of the 
capture of Franklin, on Dec. 13, 1863, is found the following notice of the 4th Michigan 
cavalry : " Company I of the 4th Michigan cavalry, dismounting, took position near the 
bridge and opened fire on the mill ; the remainder of the 4th Michigan dismounted un- 
der cover of the rising ground on which the 7lh Pennsylvania were formed, and ad- 
vanced at the double-quick, passed the position of the 7ih Pennsylvania, waded across 
the river and drove the rebels from the town. Colonel Minty was the first man across 
the river, and as he scrambled up the south bank, he took a rebel officer. The 4th 
Michigan iiad passed through the town and were following the enemy out on the Co- 
lumbia aud Carter's Creek pikes on foot, before any of the mounted men had crossed 
the river. The enemy left one captain and four privates dead in the town aud ten 
Bev.Mcly wounded, and fifteen or twenty prisoners were captured." 

Col. .\Iinty, in his report of the operations of the brigade commanded by him in the 
battle of iStone river, says : "Captain Mix of the 4lh Michigan, with about fit'tj' men, 
not only drove two hundred of the enemy for over two miles, but held his position 
against a full regiiwent of rebel cavalry. Lieut. Eldredge with eighteen dismounted 
men attacked the enemy, routed him, and re-captured a wngon loaded with ammuuition." 

Col. Minty, in his report covering the service of his brigade at the battle of iShelby- 
ville, specially mentions officers for gallant conduct, as follows : " Lieut, and Adjutant 
Hudson, 4th Michigan cavalry, acted iv\ih great gallantry throughout the entire action ; 
he was severely wounded by a musket ball through the shoulder." 

Regimental commanders make honorable mention ol the Ibllowing: "In 4tli Michigan 
cavaliy. Captains Pritchard, Hathaway, Robbins and Grant; Corporal Iloffmaster of 
company L, (most gallant conduct,) and Private Mason Brown of company 1." 

The regimental commamlers (including Major Mi.x, 4tli Michigan) are named by Col- 
onel Minty as deserving of special mention for their promptness aud the manner in 
which tliey handled their respective commands. 

Following is Bragg's circular to his array directing the movements of the 18th, which 
indicates the important position held by the 4th Michigan cavalry : 

IIeadquauters Army of Tkhnesske, 
In the Fiklu. Lekts Tanvakd, Sept. 18, 1863. 
[Circular.] I. Johnson's column (Hood's) on crossing at or near Keed"s bridge will 



THE FOURTH CAVALRY. 28cv 

turn to the left by the most practicable route, and sweep up the Chicamauga toward* 
Lee and Gordon's mills. 

II. Wiilker, on crossing at Alexander's bridge, will unite in this move and push viy 
orously on the enemy's Hank and rear in the same direction. 

III. Buckner, crossing at Tedford's ford, will join in the movement to the left a^i i 
press the enemy up the stream from Polk's front at Lee and Gordon's mills. 

IV. Polk will press his forces to the front of Lee and Gordon's mills. * * 

By command of General Bragg, G. W. BRENTT, A. A. G." 

Says an officer writing to Col. Minty, and who had the opportunity of knowing; " It 
will I think be seen that you held on that day (Sept. 18th) the key of the position, (the 
left of the army,) and so successfully that the rebel plan was frustrated. It cost Gi (Uiral 
Thomas thousands of men to maintain it, persistently fought for on the two subseq»ient 
days. Had the rebels succeeded, early in the morning of the first day of the ba' tie, in 
taking Reed's bridge, not only Col. Wilder but the whole army would have beta acri- 
ously compromised. I am sure had General Rosecrans known all the facts he would 
have added the 18th to the number of days 'the army could not have dispenseC ' with 
the services of the cavalry. 

" The more I consider the facts concerning the situation of the array, and lear i of the 
rebels, the prouder I become of our little brigade. ' Preston's division effectei an un- 
obstructed passage at Huntsford,' (says 'Ord,' the correspondent of the Mobile Tribune, 
Rebel.) Not so with Johnson and Walker at Reed's and Alexander's bridges With- 
out them there was no 'sweei)ing up the Chicamauga and vigorously pressing »he ene- 
my's flank and rear;' and when the passage was effected, your persistent pres nee and 
line of retreat made the rebels fear to 'turn to the left' and expose to you tl ijir flank 
and rear. It was not cavalry you were fighting, as Bragg's order proves. Fo rest was 
on the rebel right, but the bulk of the rebel cavalry was watching at Catl' it's Gap. 
On the whole, Uolonel, while you have earned many laurels, at no time can ' find you 
doing such valuable service to the Army of the Cumberland, as on the 18th o' Septem- 
ber, 1863." 

In 18C4, while the block-houses on the Chattanooga & Nashville Railroad v ;re being 
guarded by detachments of the 4th Michigan cavalry, one of them was gar .soned by 
twenty-three men of that regiment, only seventeen of whom were armed ; hey were 
under the command of Corporal Chanclor M. Bickford of Algansee, Branch :o., .Mich. 
On September 17th they were attacked by General Wheeler's whole comnrmd, eight 
thousand men, with three pieces of artillery. A summons of surrender was , ent twice, 
but steadily refused. At half-past 12 o'clock M. the rebels opened with the r artillery, 
and for two hours and a half continued to shell the block-house, at one time being not 
more than ten or fifteen rods distant. Seven times the rebels were made to ;hange the 
position of their artillery, and were finally forced to retreat at about six o'c! )ck in the 
evening with a loss of eight men killed and sixty wounded. The block house was 
struck during the engagement twenty-five times by artillery. Cor[)oral B ckford was 
promoted to a Second Lieutenancy, and the names of the gallant men who were under 
his command were honorably mentioned in orders. 

Col. Minty, in his report of the operations of his command at the capture of Selma, 
Ala, in mentioning officers deserving special notice for gallant conduct, says of Major 
Burns, 4th Michigan: "Major Burus, 4th Michigan cavalry, my A. A. A. G., was 
amongst the first to enter the works, and acted in the most gallant manner throughout 
the entire action." 

Copy of the original letter written with a pencil by Col. Pritchard, announcing the 
capture of Jefferson Davis: 

Headquarters 4th Michigan Cavalry, 

Abbeville, Ga., May \lth, 1865. 
Capt. Scott, A. A. A. G., 2d Division, C. C. M. D. M. 

Sir: — 1 have the honor to report that at daylight yesterday at Irwinsville, I surprised 
and captured Jeff Davis and family, together with his wife's sister and brother, his 
Postmaster-General (Ragan) his private Secretary (Colonel Harrison,) Col. Johnson, A. 
D. C. on Jeffs staff. Col. Morris, Col. Lubbock, Lieut. Hathaway, also several unimpor- 
tant names, and a train of five wagons and three ambulances, making a most perfect 
success, had not a most painful mistake occurred by which the 4th Michigan and 1st Wis- 
consin collided which cost us two men killed and Lieut. Boirtelle wounded through the 
arm, in the 4th Michigan, and three men wounded in the 1st Wisconsin. This occurred 
just at daylight after we had captured the camp, by the advance of the Ist Wisconsin, 
not propc-ly answering our challenge, by which they were mistaken for the enemy. I 
returned to this point last night and shall move right on to Macon without awaiting 



286 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

orders from joii as directed feeling that the whole objects of the expedition are accom- 
plished. It will take at least three days to reach Macon as we are 75 miles out and our 
stock is much wearied. I hope to reach Hawkinsville to-night. 

I have the honor, Sir, to be, very respectfully, your ob'dt servt, 

D. B. PRITCHARD, Lieut. Col. 4th Michigan. 

The following are the names of the officers and men of the regiment who were present 
at the capture of Jefl'erson Davis and party, on the morning of the lOlh of May, 1865 : 

Lieut. Colonel Benjamin D. Pritchard, commanding. Julian G. Dickinson, Adjutant. 
Perry J. Davis, Quartermaster. Cha-les T. Hudson, Captain Co. E. Henry S. Boutelle, 
1st Lieut. Co. C. Silas J. Stauber, 1st Lieut. Co. G. Alfred B. Purington, 2d Lieut. 
Co. I. John Bennett, 2d Lieut. Co. B. 

Company A — Sergeants Thomas Davis, Thomas Riley, George A. Simmons, Rezin 
Wright. Corporals Darwin Dunning, Robert L. Reynolds, Lyman J. Russell. Privates 
William Balon, Daniel C. Blinn, Gilbert Coata, James FuUerton, Casper Knable, Philo 
Morse, Charles W. Nichols, Henry Provost, George Rinke. 

Company B — Sergeants A. A. Braley, E. A. Ford. Corporals B. B. Bennett, William 
Crow, C. F. Parker, J. P. Sherburne, U. B. Tuttle. Privates Augustus Armstrong, J. 
J. Bontel, Frank Crim, John Nichols, A. F. Shepherd, W. P. Steadman, William V. 
Wood, L. H. Wilcox. 

Company C — Corporals David J. Curry, George M. Munger, Reuben Palmerton, Abram 
Sebring. Privates James F. Bullard, David Dillon, Frank C. Leach, James H. Lynch, 
(Stephen B. Munson, killed,) Ranseler Riggs, John Rupert, Harmon Stevens, William J. 
Smith. 

Company D — Corporal James H. Place. Privatt-s John Brown, Thomas Hunter, Burt 
Judson, Horace C. Jenney, William H. J. Martin, Jacob E. Munn, William Parker, Fran- 
cis E. Thompson, Z. H. Wilcox. 

Company E — Sergeants George A. Bullard, David B. Green. Corporals Dewitt C. 
Carr, William H. Crittenden, (John Hines, killed.) Charles W. Tyler. Privates Silas 
Bullard, George F. Delmnge, William F. Driesman, Henry Johnson, Robert G. Tripp, 
John G. Stevens, Peter Seqany, Oscar E. Teft't. 

Company F — Sergeant John Correnton. Corporals DeWitt C. Cobb, William F. True. 
Privates Joseph Bellinger, Henr}'^ Bradock, Dennis Drescoe, Henry Frickey, John F. 
Grossman, Ira Harrington, Jr., Homer Hazelton, B. Franklin Nichols, James Patterson, 
George Raab, William Wright. 

Company G — Sergeants John Cavanaugh, Jeremiah F. Craig, Jacob N. Frash, James 
F. O'Brien, William H. Palmeteer. Corporals John Ballou, George Myers, Leander B. 
Shaw, George W. Van Sickle. Privates Daniel Graham, David Cunningham, Joshua 
Parks, Cary Reed, John A. Skinner, Joseph Odrin. 

Company I — Sergeants Lester P. Bates, Elias F. Pierce. Corporals Preston W. 
Brown, Jerome B. Heath. Privates George W. Rodwell, Martin L. Brown, George M. 
Dutcher. William Dill, Charles Fhigger, Daniel E. Krumm, Patrick McKennedy, Charles 
W. Middaugh, Hiram McCoUough, Martin R. Petlit, Luke M. Thayer. 

Company K — Sergeant Ansel Adams. Corporal Alonzo Moe. Privates Thomas Fol- 
ley, Decatur Jaycox, John H. Kelch, Edwin Mabie, Smith B. Mills, James R. Norton, 
Jacob D. Newith, John Nelson, Enoch L. Rhodes, Nathani-1 Root. 

Company L — Sergeants Benjamin K. Coif, Joseph Hofi'master. Corporals Charles C. 
Marsh, William Oliver. Privates Andrew Bee, Benjamin F. Carpenter, Daniel Edwards, 
E. Lane, J. W. Linsley, William Munn, William Newkirk, George Noggle, Perry Phelps, 
Jesse J. Penfield, Joseph Stewart. 

Company M — 1st Sergeant Wesley D. Pond. Corporals Simeon HufiF, Henry Shana- 
han. Privates Andrew Anderson, Robert Arnold, Emanuel Beazan, John Vautyle. 

A commission was appointed by the War Department which decided that the 4th 
Michigan cavalry were entitled to the reward for the capture of Jeff Davis, and directed 
how it should be distributed. But when the appro[)riation came before Congress, a claim 
was set up by the Ist Wisconsin cavalry, which deferred the passage of the bill from time 
to time until the close of the session, July, 18G8, when the bill authorizing the expenditure 
was finally passed. The claim of the 4th Michigan was ably advocated by the Michigan 
Delegation, but the matter was so managed by Congress that the award of the Commis- 
sion so far as the money in question was concerned, was set aside, and the amount dis- 
tributed as follows: General Wilson, commanding U. S. cavalry in that region of coun- 
try, $3000; Lieut. Colonel Pritchard, 4th Michigan, $3300 ; Colonel Harnden, 1st Wis- 
consin cavalry, $3000; Captain Joseph A. 0. Yoeman, 1st Ohio cavalry, $3000. The 
remainer of the $100,000 was distributed equally to the members of these orgauizations 
then with the expedition. 



THE EIGHTH CAVALRY. 287 

THE EIGHTH CAVALRY. 

The rebel General INforgan, on his memorable raid through Kentucky, 
Indiana, and Ohio in 1863, found some Michigan troops after him, as they 
were generally after rebels on almost every other occasion during tiie rebel- 
lion, and they troubled them somewhat on this occasion. Among them were 
the 8th ]\Iichigan cavalry, then in command of Lieut. Col. G. S. Worraer, 
who j)ursued Morgan for sixteen successive days and nights, and on over- 
taking him at ButHngton's Island, in the Ohio river, on July 19th, the regi- 
ment, together with other troops, vigorously attacked his forces ; and, after 
a brisk fight, routed him, driving his command in great confusion, taking 
five hundred and seventy-three prisoners, four hundred and eighty-seven 
horses and mules, with a large quantity of arms. 

A detachment of the regiment, in charge of Lieut. Boynton, afterwards 
led a force Cdmmaudcd by Major Rue, 9th Kentucky cavalry, which pur- 
sued and ca])turcd Morgan near New Lisbon, Ohio, on the 2Gth of July, 
1863. This detachment was on the right of the command at the time of 
his surrender, and under its standard the final terms were consummated. 

This regiment left the State in May, 1863, and down to the fight at Buffing- 
ton's Island had been engaged with the enemy at Triplet's Bridge, Leba- 
non, Lawrenceburg, and Salvica, Kentucky, becoming thus early, after it 
reached the field, .prominently and actively at work battling the rebellion 
and nobly maintaining the high standard of INIichigan troops. The regiment 
was raised and organized by Col. John Stockton, who commanded it until 
health failed him, and proved a brave and efficient body of men, accom- 
plishing much hard service and passing through many desperate encounters 
with the Western rebel troops, and always acquitting itself gloriously, whe- 
ther in partial defeat or in complete and substantial victory. While the 
record of the regiment is bright and dazzling, and numbers many successful 
and brilliant battles, none of them perhaps appear to more advantage tlian 
the severe fights at Athens and Calhoun, East Tennessee, September 26th 
and 27th, 1863, in which its brigade, being the 1st of the 4th division, 4th 
army corps, became engaged with Forrest's and Wheeler's cavalry, esti- 
mated at 15,000, and where the regiment, in command of Colonel Wormer, 
occupied a prominent position, fought stubbornly, and lost forty-three men 
in killed, wounded, and missing. On October 28th following, while on a 
reconnoissance from Loudon, it became engaged in a severe action, losing 
nine wounded. 

Conspicuous also are its gallant achievements while checking the advance 
of Lougstreet's army on Knoxville, when the regiment, in command of 
Major Edgcrly, participated in covering the retreat of the Union forces, 
then falling back before the rebel army from Lenoir Station on Knoxville. 
On that occasion the regiment was engaged with the enemy constantly from 
the rith until the 19th Is^ovember, and afterwards took part in the glorious 
and successful defence of Knoxville until the raising of the siege on the 5th 
of December, when it joined in pursuit of the rebel army, skirmishing with 
their rear guard and driving them at every point until Bean's Station was 
reached, where it became heavily engaged on the 14th December, but suc- 
ceeded in pushing them with loss from every position. For its decided 
bravery, determined fighting, and the valuable service rendered the army, 
the regiment was complimented in special orders by General Biiruside. 
The regiment, commanded by Lieut. Col. ^lix, formed a j)ortion of Stone- 
man's cavalry, which covered Sherman's right on his advance upon Atlanta, 
and on July 4th, 1864, became conspicuously distinguished at the Chatta- 



288 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

hooche river, where, after a hard fight with Armstrong's brigade of rebel 
cavalry with an artillery support, the regiment charged and drove the 
brigade across the river. For this gallant conduct it received at tlie time 
the cheers of General Stoneman and his staff. It also took part in the fruit- 
less raid of Stoneman on IMacon in July, and even in that fearfully disas- 
trous undertaking won glorious distinction as a fighting regiment. When 
Stoneman became entirely surrounded, and surrender was evident, the 8th 
Michigan, then in command of Col. Mix, unwilling to lay down their arms 
to tlie rebels, and bearing in mind the honor of their State as well as their 
own, obtained permission from the commanding general to cut tlieir way 
out, and, dashing forward, commenced their desperate undertaking, sur- 
rounded entirely by the enemy, engaging him hand to hand. Colonel Mix 
being captured, owing to the loss of his horse. Major Buck assumed com- 
mand, and succeeding in forcing through the enemy by persistent and stub- 
born fighting, he undertook to reach the Union lines near Atlanta, but failed. 
After a hard march, much fatigue and exposure, having been seven days 
and eight nights in the saddle, pursued and harassed, he was overtaken, 
and, after a severe engagement, a large number were made prisoners ; yet 
a portion of the regiment reached the Union lines. 

This regiment was serving in Tennessee on November 1st, 1864, and bri- 
gaded with the 14th and 16th Illinois cavalry, and at that date, Avith its 
brigade, was on the march from Nashville to Pulaski for the purpose of 
watching the movements of Hood, who was then on his northern expedition 
from Atlanta. Having reached Pulaski, the regiment, on the 6th, moved 
on a scout toLawrenceburg and returned, and again on the 12th to Waynes- 
boro'. Returning from that point, it marched to jNIount Pleasant on the 
14th and loth, and remained there in camp on the 16th, on the 17th and 
18th was on the march to Waynesboro', company C having a skirmish with 
the enemy. Having reached Waynesboro', on the 18th, 19th, and 20th 
nearly the whole regiment was engaged day and night in scouting l)y de- 
tachments, one being sent to Lawrenceburg to form a junction with General 
Hatch, who was then falling back from the Tennessee river, near Florence; 
one to Clifton, another towards Savannah, all returning and joining the 
command on the 20th. On the 21st, information having been received that 
Forrest was advancing towards Lawren(;eburg, the command fell back to 
within eleven miles of Mount Pleasant and went into camp. In the mean- 
time communication had been opened with General Hatch, and on the 23d 
a detachment of one officer and twenty-five men of the regiment was sent 
back towards Waynesboro', which met the enemy about seven miles out and 
near Henryville, where it kept a whole regiment in check until company B 
was sent forward as a re-enforcement, but before it reached there it was at- 
tacked and driven back and the detachment cut off. It was then ascer- 
tained that the enemy had succeeded in getting a position between General 
Hatch and the command. A battalion of this regiment was ordered to hold 
the road in front, while the brigade fell back three miles to the junction of 
tlie Blount Pleasant and Lawrenceburg roads, and there threw up a barri- 
cade and made a stand for the purpose of checking the enemy should he 
succeed in driving the battalion. During that time the battalion was hold- 
ing him in check, although vigorously attacked and closely pressed ; and, 
after a stubborn and gallant resistance, the enemy succeeded in throwing a 
heavy force on its left flank and driving it back to within a short distance 
of the barricade, where it made a determined stand, but was attacked by a 
superior force, and, before it could fall back on the command, the enemy 
had gained its rear. The attacking force was discovered by the brigade, 



THE NINTH CAVALRY. 289 

but, owing to the darkness, it was supposed to be the battalion falling l)aek, 
and therefore no efl'ort was made to check it. At tliat time the balance of 
the 8tli Michigan was ordered to a position behind the barricade; but be- 
fore it could be properly posted the enemy made a desj)erate charge on the 
whole line, and so unexpected was the attack that it threw the two other 
regiments of the brigade into confusion, producing a perfect stampede, wlieu 
the 8th Michigan, Avith great coolness maintaining its position, poured a vol- 
ley into his ranks, checking his advance, then gave him a second volley, 
when lie retired. In the meantime the battalion of the 8th INIichigau that 
had been left in front to hold him in check, and which had now been cut 
ofi' from the main command, cut its way through the enemy under a heavy 
fire and rejoined the brigade, having lost several killed and wounded. 

About daylight on the morning of the 24th the pickets were again at- 
tacked, the brigade falling back about two miles, closely followed by the 
enemy, when he threw a heavy column on both its flanks, compelling it to 
retreat in double-quick to Columbia, the enemy pursuing closely. On 
reaching that point, a division of infantry, from the 23d army corps, which 
had just arrived there, succeeded in driving him back, and prevented the 
whole of General Forrest's command from dashing into the town and cap- 
turing it. On the 25th a detachment of fifty men of the regiment was sent 
to Hardison's Mills, on Duck river, for the purpose of crossing, to ascertain 
if the enemy was moving in that direction, and next day the brigade was 
ordered to that point, and picketed the different fords along the river for 
six or eight miles. On the morning of" the 28th the advance of Hood's 
army was discovered moving towards the fords, and about noon ho had 
driven in the advance pickets, and at 2 P. M. he opened fire at almost 
every ford, but he was kept in check until the communication with Gene- 
ral Jolinson was cut off by the enemy crossing at one of the fords east of 
Columbia, and also on the left of the command, when the detachments at 
the fords were ordered back ; then the brigade became completely sur- 
rounded, when one regiment (7th Ohio) succeeded in cutting its way 
through the enemy, in its rear, still leaving the remaining portion of the 
connnand (in which was the 8th IMichigan) completely and closely sur- 
rounded. The regiment, together with the 14th and 16th Iliinois, being 
armed with Springfield muskets, dismounted, and with bayonets fixed, 
charged through the enemy in gallant style, driving over 100 rebels into 
the river. A detachment of 40 men of the regiment had been cut off at 
one of the lower fords, but succeeded in extricating itself with but little 
loss. Next morning the command fell back six miles on General Hatch's 
division, which had been drawn up in line of battle, to check any further 
advance of the enemy. On the following morning the whole cavalry force 
fell back to near Franklin, the infantry having already evacuated Colum- 
bia and taken position at Franklin. On the 30th the enemy made several 
attemi)ts to drive the cavalry in, but failed. Towards evening he massed 
a strong force, and made a desperate attack, but was repulsed Avith heavy 
loss. Next morning, December 1st, before daylight, the whole command 
had commenced falling back towards Nashville, and when within six miles 
of that place the cavalry made a stand, but the enemy did not come up. 
During the uight the whole cavalry force moved inside the lines at Nash- 
ville. 

THE NINTH CAVALRY. 

The capture of the notorious rebel General Morgan and the rout of his 
forces while on his raid of robbery and plunder in Indiana and Ohio, in 
S 



290 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

1863, should to a very great extent be attributed to the 9th Michigan cav- 
alry, then commanded by Colonel James I. David, by whom it had been 
raised and organized. 

After the regiment, while in command of Lieutenant-Colonel George S. 
Acker, had participated in the attack on IMorgan's troops, at Buffington's 
Island, on July 19th, acquitting itself with much distinction, a detachment 
of the regiment, in command of INIajor W. B. Way, with a section of bat- 
tery L, 1st I\Iichigan light artillery, on July 24th, joined in pursuit of 
Morgan's fleeing cavalry. Proceeding by cars to ]Mingo Junction, on the 
Ohio river, thence marched to La Grange and Stuebenville, overtaking 
Morgan near Stuebenville, July 25th. The command skirmished with his 
forces, driving him during the night, and on the following morning suc- 
ceeded in pressing him into an engagement near Salineville, which resulted, 
after a severe fight, in the complete defeat and rout of his command, with 
a loss of 23 killed, 44 wounded, and 305 prisoners. Morgan, flying with 
a remnant of his troops, was then chased until, meeting the forces under 
General Shackleford, he surrendered. 

At the beginning of November, 1863, the regiment was at Henderson 
Station, East Tennessee, and seems to have performed a considerable 
amount of scouting during the month in that portion of the State. Its 
December return notes its march towards Knoxville on the 6th, and a 
skirmish with the enemy on Clinch Mountains on the 7th, during a march 
of 30 miles. On the 10th, while on reconnoissance, it met the enemy two 
miles from Moorestown, and successfully engaged them. The 12th was 
occupied, with its brigade, in a sharp action near Russelville. The posi- 
tion of the regiment at Bean's Station was attacked on the 14th, and the 
command fell back toward Rutledge. The next two days the regiment, in 
command of Major S. Brock way, (Colonel Acker being wounded at Bean's 
Station,) while acting as rear-guard, was engaged in constant skirmishing 
near Butledge. Later in the mouth it was in skirmishes at Dandredgeand 
Mossy creek. On the 16th of January following, the regiment — then in 
command of Major M. F. Gallagher — moved from Dandredge in the direc- 
tion of Bull's Gap, and encountered the enemy's infantry in large force at 
Kinsboro's Cross lloads. After a severe fight of about half an hour the regi- 
ment tell back on Dandredge, having lost 32 in killed, wounded, and missing. 

In June, 1864, this regiment was again found fighting with the notorious 
Morgan, near Cynthiana, Ky. It appears that on June 9th, the regiment, 
then in command of Col. George S. Acker, Avas in camp at Nicholasville, 
and ordered to scout as far as Bayley's Cross-roads, a distance of fourteen 
miles, with orders that if the enemy was found to engage him. Not finding 
him Col. Acker returned. On June 10th he marched to Lexington, where 
a battalion of the regiment, in command of ^lajor ^IcBride, met with a 
portion of INIorgan's command, had a brisk skirmish, and retired. On June 
11th the regiment marched to Paris and bivouacked for two hours ; after 
dark started for Cynthiana, leading the horses the most of the way, so as 
to make as little noise as possible. Just at daylight on the Pith the enemy 
was found behind rail barricades; the 11th Michigan cavalry and 12th 
Ohio cavalry were in line of battle on foot for the purpose of driving him 
from tlie barricades, while the 9tli Micliigan charged the enemy on his left 
flank in most splendid style, taking 300 {jrisoners, about 500 horses, and a 
large cpuintity of siiuill arms, also a number of beef cattle. This charge 
was a brilliant aflair, completely routing him and driving great numbers 
of his troops into the Licking river in much confusion, and thoroughly de- 
moralized. 



THE NINTH CAVALRY. 201 

On the 27th of November the re,t?imont moved in the direction of Waynes- 
boix)', and on the 28th was engaged, while covering tlie rear of the division, 
h)sing two men killed and one wounded. Near Louisville, on the 29th, the 
regiment drove two brigades of the enemy from a mill, after a slight engage- 
ment. Proceeding towards Waynesboro' on the 1st, 2d, and od of Decem- 
ber, skirmishing during the night of the 2d ; encamped on the night of the 
3d ; attacking Wheeler's cavalry on the 4th, driving them through Waynes- 
boro' in great confusion, the regiment charging with their sabres, taking 
four hundred prisoners, and losing two killed and five wounded, and one 
officer taken j^risoner. For its conduct in that gallant charge, the regiment 
received special notice in the report of the commanding general to the War 
Department. During the 5th and Gth the march was continued, the enemy 
attacking the regiment vigorously ; on the 7tli a charge was made by the 
2(1 battalion, in command of Major McBride, at Cypress Swamp, and after 
a severe fight, in which it lost two killed, two wounded, and five missing, 
he was compelled to retire. In this charge fell the gallant Captain Fred- 
erick S. Ladd. 

The 9th was the only Michigan cavalry regiment having the honor of 
marching with General Sherman's army to the ocean, and composed the 
escort of General Kilpatrick when he opened communication between that 
army and the Atlantic coast, and at the time when that important and in- 
teresting dispatch from General Howard, of Sherman's army, dated Decem- 
ber 9, 1864, to the American fleet in St., Catherine's Sound on the coast of 
Georgia, reaching it on the 13th of that month, saying, " We have had per- 
fect success, and army in fine spirits." 

On that great campaign of General Sherman from Atlanta to the sea, 
the regiment, in command of Col. Acker, served with the cavalry of Gen. 
Kilpatrick. On the morning of the battle of Waynesboro', Kilpatrick had 
broke camp at 4 A. M., and when within about two miles of Waynesboro' 
struck the rebel General Wheeler's command. The 9th Michigan was the 
third regiment in column, the 92d Illinois were acting as skirmishers, and 
the 10th Ohio cavalry in line mounted. On reaching within about a mile 
of the town, the enemy made a stand, when the 10th Ohio charged, but 
were driven back in confusion. The 9th JMichigan was then ordered to 
charge, and had to form while on the run from column of fours to that of 
battalions, driving the enemy from the field, taking 100 prisoners and a 
large amount of small arms, and losing only one man killed, three wounded, 
and five horses shot. The charge was spoken of with favorable comment 
l)y General Kilpatrick, and the brigade commander. General S. Atkins, in 
their official reports. 

In the Cleveland Herald, of July 27, 1863, is found a detailed account 
of the capture of INIorgan, from which the following extract is taken : 

"At this time the utmost alarm existed among the people of Salineville. 
The houses were closed, doors and windows h)cked and barred, and women 
and children stampeding into the country with whatever ])ortahle property 
could be carried al(mg. The men, who had weapons and courage, turned 
out to resist the ]>rogress of the dreaded rebel, while all the others fled with 
the women and children. 

" In a short time the expected rel)els made their appearance, coming around 
a bend in the road. On catching siglit of the infantry they halted, and 
turned their horses heads in another direction. Befire they could get out 
of the trap they found themselves in, iNIajor Way, with 250 men of the 9th 
Michigan cavalry, dashed among them and commenced cutting right and 



292 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

left. The rebels made but a brief resistance ; a few shots were fired by them, 
and tlien the wliole party broke in utter confusion. The scene that foHowed 
was almost ludicrous, and could only be matched by the previous stampede 
at Buffington Island. Men dismounted, threw down their arms, and begged 
for quarter, whilst others galloped round wildly in search of a place of 
escape, and were ' brought to time' by a pistol shot or sabre stroke, 

" Morgan himself was riding in a carriage draAvn by two white horses. 
Major Way saw him, and galloping up, readied for him. Morgan jumped 
out at the other side of the carriage, leaped over a fence, seized a horse, and 
galloped off as fast as horse-flesh, spurred by frightened heels, could carry 
him. About two hundred of his men succeeded in "breaking away, and fol- 
lowing their fugitive leader. In the buggy thus hastily ' evacuated ' by 
Morgan Avere found his ' rations,' consisting of a loaf of bread, some hard- 
boiled eggs, and a bottle of whiskey. 

"A few of our cavalry were wounded, two or three seriously. Lieutenant 
Fisk was shot through the breast ; his wound is dangerous, and he has tele- 
graphed for hLs wife to come from Michigan." 

THE TENTH CAVALRY. 

The 10th cavalry was organized at Grand Rapids, under the supervision 
of Col. F. W. Kellogg, and went to the field in Kentucky in December, 1863, 
in command of Colonel Thaddeus Foote, first encountering the rebels at 
House Mountain, Tenn., in January, 1864, subsequently at Bean's Gap, 
March 26th, and at Rheatown, April 24th following, and next day a more 
important engagement followed at Carter's Station, near Jonesboro, Tenn., 
when the regiment, in command of Lieutenant-Colonel L. S. Trowbridge, 
together with the 3d Indiana cavalry, were sent to destroy the large rail- 
road bridge over the Watauga river. Colonel Trowbridge was to be sup- 
ported, if necessary, by JManson's brigade, of Cox's division, 13th corps, 
which marched up as far as Jonesboro, twelve miles from Carter's Station. 
The ])ridge was defended by the rebel General A. E. Jackson, called 
"Mudwall Jackson," with a strong force, occupying a strong redoubt, with 
extensive and well-constructed rifle-pits. The Union force had one moun- 
tain howitzer, commanded by Lieutenant E. J. Brooks, but owing to a very 
limited amount of ammunition, he was unable to accomplish much, yet 
made some remarkably telling shots. It was soon ascertained that there 
was no possible way of reaching the bridge without first dislodging the 
enemy from their strong position, and this had to be accomplished at much 
risk by passing over perfectly open ground for a distance of two hundred 
yards, swept by a very sharp and hot cross-fire from the opposite side of 
the river. Yet, being the first heavy undertaking of the regiment. Colonel 
Trowbridge felt unwilling to retire without accomplishing something, as it 
would produce an unfavorable effect upon his command. He therefore de- 
cided to make an attempt, dismounting about one-third of his men. With 
this small force he ordered an advance upon the enemy's position at double- 
quick, when they gave way in great disorder, leaving their works and 
taking shelter in a large mill near at hand. Major Israel C. Smith being the 
first man to enter the redoubt and Captain Benjamin K. Weatherwax the 
second. As soon as the redoubt was gained, an attempt was made to drive 
the enemy out of the mill, but the charging force was met with such a ter- 
rible and destructive volley that it was abandoned. In this daring and 
gallant attempt Captain Weatherwax lost his life, being shot through the 
heart. Colonel Trowbridge, in a special report of the affair, says of hira : 



THE TENTH CAVALRY. 293 

"Thus was lost to us one of the most gallant and worthy officers whom I 
have ever met. Full of noble and generous sympathy, the loftiest })a- 
triotism, with that courage which knows no fear, his loss was most deeply 
felt by the entire regiment." The fight was a brilliant success, though 
obtained at a loss of seventeen killed and wounded, and must be recognized 
as an uncommon victory, considering it was gained by dismounted cavalry, 
new and undisciplined, over a much superior force ot*" well-trained infantry, 
holding strong defensive works, and having, in addition, to meet a most 
galling cross-fire of the enemy, thus rendering the success uncommon at 
that stage of the rebellion, and should be classed among the most gallant 
minor victories of the war. 

This regiment was stationed at Strawberry Plains, in East Tennessee, 
November 1, 1864, engaged in fortifying that point and in the usual routine 
of camp duty and occasional scouting. On the 16th General Breckinridge, 
with a large rebel force, made his appearance in front of the garrison, and 
on the 17th commenced a vigorous attack with artillery from the opposite 
side of the Holston river, and at the same time threatening it in the rear 
with a heavy cavalry force. Constant skirmishing and occasional artillery 
firing was kept up for four days, the enemy being repulsed on the 24th, 
when he withdrew. During the remaining portion of the month, and up to 
December 6th, the regiment was employed in constructing fortifications at 
that point, when, on the receipt of orders, it marched to Knoxville, and 
soon after made an expedition to Baltville, Va., and destroyed the salt 
works at that point, being engaged with the enemy at Kingsport, December 
12th ; at Bristol, December 14th, and at Saltville, December 20th. Re- 
turning to Knoxville, it had a skirmish atChucky Bend, January 10, 1865. 
Remaining at Knoxville until March 21st, the brigade to which it was 
attached marched to Upper East Tennessee, under command of Brevet 
Brigadier-General Palmer. Joining the expedition under General Stone- 
man, in his raid into North Carolina, the regiment was engaged with the 
enemy at Brabson's Mills on the 25th, and at Boonville, N. C, on the 
27th. Proceeding, via AVilkesboro, and thence down to Yadkin river, in 
the direction of Salisbuiy, reaching the Tennessee and Virginia railroad at 
Christiansburg, April 5th, it assisted in destroying over one hundred miles 
of that railroad, together with the bridges. This accomplished, the regi- 
ment made a ra{)id march of ninety-five miles to Plenry Court-house, 
making the distance in twenty-two hours. At that point it became engaged 
with a superior force of the enemy's cavalry and infantry on the 8lh, 
which, after a brisk fight, retired, the regiment losing in the affair Lieu- 
tenant Kenyon and three men killed, and one officer and three men severely 
wounded, the loss of the enemy not being ascertained. 

The regiment, in command of Colonel Trowbridge, had been detached at 
Salem, on the 10th, and sent to destroy the bridge over Abbott's creek, and 
then, if not opposed, to join General Stoneman at Salisbury. The 10th 
marched all night; one battalion, in command of Captain James H. Cum- 
mins, was sent to High Point to attract the enemy in that direction, and 
succeeded in destroying over $300,000 worth of rebel stores without loss. 
Meanwhile, the other two battalions, not numbering more than 250 men, 
were marching in an opposite direction. It was important to destroy the 
bridge before daylight, and on being informed that there was no enemy 
near, the colonel sent forward tw^o companies in command of Capt. Roberts 
for that purpose. "While the remaining force was moving leisurely along, and 
as daylight was breaking, it suddenly came upon the pickets of the enemy, 
when it was ascertained that Ferguson's brigade of Wheeler's cavalry, uum- 



294 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

bering 1200 men, were about a mile ahead. The horses of the command 
were much worn out and jaded, and the force only about one-sixth that of 
the enemy, and twenty miles from any support, rendering a contest ex- 
tremely hazardous and almost without hope of success ; and as General 
Stoneman was then expected to be at work at Salisbury, and needed assist- 
ance, it was im2:)ortant to draw off" the force for that purpose if possible, and 
it was therefore determined to fall back as soon as the two detached com- 
panies of Captain Roberts had returned. In order to await for them the 
command was put in position for defence. Colonel TrowJjridge determined 
in case of attack to make the best ffght possible. Soon Captain Roberts 
returned, and reported that he had slipped past the enemy, and had de- 
stroyed the bridge as directed. The chief object of the movement having 
been accomplished, the command commenced to retire by alternate squad- 
rons, leaving Cai)tain Dunn, with his plucky company, to hold the rebels 
in check until the command could get properly started. As soon as the 
movement was discovei-ed, the enemy attacked with great vigor, not only 
with a superior force of cavalry, but with a large body of infantry, sending 
a column upon each flank, making an attempt to surround this little band, 
and rendering it necessary to fall back by squadrons as rapidly as practi- 
cable. Each squadron, after holding a position as long as possible, wheeled 
into column and trotted back, and took up another position, fighting most 
gallantly in defence of each. This fight lasted for six miles, when the ene- 
my, despairing of closing in upon this handful of brave men, and disheart- 
ened by their losses, which had been considerable, stopped their pursuit, and 
Colonel Trowbridge, with his plucky comrades were permitted to retire and 
rejoin the main command. 

Strange as it may appear, after such hard and disadvantageous fighting, 
his loss was only two taken prisoners, Avhile that of the enemy, judging from 
reports in rebel newspapers, and from other sources, especially from the 
statements of Colonel AVheelcr of General Wheeler's corps, must have been 
from 50 to 75 in killed, besides a large number wounded. 

This was a most remarkable fight, and shows what can be done with 
brave men commanded by cool and gallant officers. 

Another instance, among the many, showing the stubborn fighting of this 
gallant and patriotic regiment, occurred August 24, 1864, at Strawberry 
Plains, East Tennessee, Avhere Major Standish, with 125 men of his regi- 
ment, and Colvin's Illinois battery, repulsed in most splendid style an attack 
of Wheeler's cavalry corps, six thousand strong, with nine ])ieces of artil- 
lery. 

During this attack, seven of Standish's men by hard fighting held MclNIil- 
lan's Ford, on the Holston river, for three and a half hours against a 
brigade of rebel cavalry, killing forty or fifty of them, but were finally sur- 
rounded and captured. 

Colonel Trowbridge furnishes the following incident connected with the 
repulse of Wheeler at Strawberry Plains, on August 24, l<s64: 

" Eight men were sent to guard iNIcISIillan's Ford, on the Holston ; one 
of them went oflTon his own hook, so that seven were left. One of them was 
a larg(>, powerful fellow, the farrier of company B, by the name of Alexan- 
der II. Griggs, supposed to belong to Greenfield, AVayne C( unty. These 
seven men actually kept back a rebel l)rigade from crossing that ford for 
three and a half hours by desperate fighting, killing forty or fifty. During 
the fight this big farrier was badly wounded in the shoulder, ar.d the rebels, 
by swinuniiig the river above and below the ford, succeeded in capturing 
the whole party. 



THE TENTH CAVALRY. 295 

" General Wheeler was much astonished at the valor of these men, and 
at once paroled a man to stay and take care of this wounded man. Ap- 
proaching the wounded farrier, the following dialogue is said to have taken 
place : 

''General Wheeler. Well, my man, how many men had you at the ford? 

" ^^''U9^- Seven, sir. 

" Wheeler. IMy poor fellow, don't you know that you are badly wounded? 
You might as well tell me the truth ; you may not live long. 

"Griggs, (indignantly.) 1 am telling the truth, sir. We had only seven 
men. 

"Wheeler, (laughing.) Well, what did you expect to do? 

" Griggs. To keep you from crossing, sir. 

"Wheeler, (greatly amused, and laughing.) Well, why didn't you do it? 

"Griggs. Why, you see, we did until you hit me, a)id that weakened our 
forces so viuch that you xeere too muehfor us. 

" Wheeler was greatly amused, and inquired of another prisoner, (who 
happened to be a horse farrier too,) 'Are all the 10th IMichigan like you 
fellows?' 'Oh, no!' said tiie man, ' we are the poorest of the lot. We are 
mostly horse farriers and blacksmiths, and not much accustomed to fight- 
ing.' ' Well,' said Wheeler, ' if I had 300 such men as you I could march 
straight tlirough h — 1.' " 

Col. Trowbridge, in a recent report, says of the engagement at Strawberry 
Plains, November 16, 1864: 

"In November, 1864, I had a sharp fight at Strawberry Plains, East Ten- 
nessee, with Breckinridge. I had 700 men, some of them indifi'erently arm- 
ed, and many of them very indifierent soldiers, made up of stragglers from 
a dozen difiereut commands. Breckinridge had 5,00() men, among them 
John B. Palmer, formerly of Detroit, who commanded the artillery and in- 
fantry, and ranked as a brigadier-general in the rebel army. I had a sec- 
tion of Wood's Illinois battery, and Brec-kinridge had nine or ten pieces of 
artillery. We had a brisk fight, and by good fighting and a show of bold- 
ness Breckinridge was repulsed. I think some credit was due the men un- 
der my command for the manner in which they acquitted themselves, as well 
as to myself as their commanding officer; but, strange to say, next day the 
telegraph announced to the country that General Ammen had repulsed 
Breckinridge at Strawberry Plains after a hard fight. General Anuuen 
was then the district and division commander, and was then at his head- 
quarters in Knoxville. I had never communicated with him on the sub- 
ject, and he could have known no more about the fight than a man at the 
time in Sitka." 

The following is furnished by Col. Trowbridge : 

" When General Sttmeman went to capture Salisbury, N. C, in 186"), he 
met the enemy at a little stream a few miles from town. The stream had 
very high and precipitous banks and coujd not be forded. The only way 
to cross it was by a narrow bridge, whi(!h was effectually commanded by the 
enemy's artillery. After trying for son\e time to get them out of their posi- 
tion with his artillery without success, Stoneman called to him ]Major Smith, 
of the 10th, and said: 'IMajor, I Avant you to take twenty men, armed with 
the Spencer carbines, and cross this creek and fiank those fellows out there.' 
Smith tiKtk his twenty men, and, crossing the creek on a log out of sight of 
the enemy, steadily approached and fired a volley into their fiank, when the 
whole force broke in the greatest confusion. Stacy, with his Tennessee cav- 
alry, was on them in an instant, and the fight was over. Results : 19 pieces 
of "artillery, 1,100 prisoners, and supplies enough for an army of 100,000 



296 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURLNG THE REBELLION. 

men. This exploit of Major Smith and his gallant little band was as daring 
as it proved successful. 

" One of the most gallant things of the war occurred in East Tennessee 
at the time when Wheeler made his raid through there in August, 1864. 
Major Smith, of the 10th, was sent out from Knoxville with seventy-two 
men, all the mounted force that could be mustered, to scout in the direction 
of Strawberry Plains and ascertain the position of the enemy. With the 
true spirit of a cavalry man, he ordered his advance guard to charge the 
first party (jf rebels they should see. They discovered the enemy two and 
a half miles from Flat Creek Bridge, and, according to orders, charged 
them in gallant style. Smith followed up with his command. The enemy 
proved to be the 8th Texas cavalry, 400 strong. Smith routed them com- 
pletely, captured their commanding officer, a lieutenant colonel, and thirty 
or forty prisoners, and was hotly pursuing them at a full gallop wlien he 
came to Flat Creek Bridge — a long, high, and narrow bridge. Over this 
Smith charged, to find himself confronted by Humes' division of rebel cav- 
alry, 2,000 strong, drawn up in line of battle, scarcely three hundred yards 
from the bridge. Of course he had to get away, which he succeeded in do- 
ing without any very great loss, though the enemy charged him for seven 
miles. The boldness of the thing annoyed the rebels not a little, and they 
ever after entertained a wholesome fear of the 10th j\Iichigan cavalry. 

" In the summer of 1864 I was ordered to go up near the Virginia line to 
capture a large number of horses that were said to be in pasture. It was 
not expected that I would meet the enemy before I reached Kingsport, but 
unfortunately for the success of my enterprise I met them at Bean's Station. 
I at once ordered Capt. Roberts, with two companies, to charge them. One 
of the companies was connuanded by Lieut, afterwards Captain Brooks. 
Brooks was smarting under some ill treatment from a superior officer, and 
inimediately dashed forward with his company. After routing the rebels 
handsomely and charging them for a couple of miles, Capt. Roberts wisely 
ordered a halt. But Brooks had gone ahead with a few men, and actually 
kept up that charge with three men with him for a distance often miles and 
a half Captain Brooks was afterwards rewarded lor his gallantry by the 
brevets of major and lieutenant colonel." 

THE ELEVENTH CAVALRY. 

On the 10th of December, 1863, the 11th cavalry, which Colonel F. W. 
Kellogg had been authorized to raise, left Michigan for Kentucky, in com- 
mand of Colonel S. B. Brown, of St. Clair, who had recruited and organized 
the regiment. After its arrival in Kentucky it was employed in protecting 
the eastern district of that State from incursions of parties of tliieving rebels 
fnjni Virginia, perf)rming avast amount of service, and iil•^^t met thi' enemy 
at Pound Gap on ^lay 17th, 1864. Out of the many battles and skirmishes 
in which this regiment [)artieipated with much credit, none, it is deemed, 
appear to have proved the sterling bravery and efficiency of this j)attern 
oavahy regiment than the important battles of Saltville, Va., October 2d, 
1864, and Marion, Va., December 17th of the same year, as they will un- 
doubtedly be considered by the regiment and those familiar with its history 
as among its principal engagements. 

In August of that year the regiment was at Camp Burnside, on the Cum- 
berland river. On the 17th of September following it was ordered to INIount 
Sterling, Ky., and thence engaged with its division, in conmiand of Gen. 
Burbridge, in a raid to Saltville, Va. Encountering the enemy at IMcCor- 



THE ELEVENTH CAVALRY. 297 

nick's Farm, Ky., on the 23d, and then at Laurel Mountain, Va., on the 
29th, and at Bowen's Farm on the 30th and October 1st. Having expe- 
rienced a long and hazardous march, through a rocky, barren country, and 
being in the advance, skirmished daily with the enemy, who contested every 
foot of the ground with much vigor and persistence, the command of Gen. 
Burbridge, on the morning of the 2d, came upon the enemy's works at Salt- 
ville, defended by the troops of Breckinridge, Echols, and Williams, num- 
bering about 22,000, including 7,000 militia. The whole of Burhridge's 
command, numbering less than 4,000 cfiective men, were ordered to move 
on the enemy's works ; a different point of attack being assigned to each 
brigade. The nature of the ground and the fact that the enemy greatly 
outnumbered the Union troops, and being behind strong embankments de- 
fended with twenty pieces of artillery, rendered the undertaking a very 
hazardous and desperate one. The brigade commanded and led by Col. 
Brown, and to which the 11th cavalry, then in command of Lieut. Colonel 
Mason, were attached, carried the main work in most brilliant style, and 
were the only trooj)S that effected a lodgment within the defences. The fact 
that the 11th cavalry alone lost eighty -six in killed, Avounded, and missing, 
more men than were lost by any other brigade of the command, proved con- 
clusively that the success of the troops under Brown was not the result of 
lack of courage or of determined and desperate fighting on the part of their 
opponents, but was a result of their own gallant and persistent fighting. 
The rebel position proving too strong td be held, the command, after most 
stubborn fighting, was withdrawn, but not until all its ammunition had been 
expended. On the retreat the 11th constituted the rear guard, and next 
day skirmished with the enemy's advance, and the day following the battle 
was renewed near Sandy Mountain, where the regiment became cut off from 
the division and sun-ounded by a body of cavalry numbering about 4,000, 
under " Cerro Gordo" AVilliams. After a very sanguinary conflict of over 
an hour, the enemy closing in upon the regiment. Col. Mason determined on 
fight before surrender, gallantly led the regiment to the charge, and suc- 
ceeded, after a bloody hand-to-hand encounter, in cutting through the rebel 
lines, punishing the enemy so severely that he abandoned any pursuit. This 
brilliant affair was not accomplished without loss, which included the gal- 
lant jNIason, a noble soldier ; he was mortally wounded in the charge and 
died next day. 

Long and numerous marches and almost continuous battles and skirmishes 
followed the engagements at Saltville and Sandy Mountain, the regiment 
acquitting itself creditably on all occasions. 

On December 4, 1804, it was at Bean Station, East Tennessee, and on 
the 11th, in command of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles E. Smith, moved with 
the force of General Stoneman on his raid into North Carolina, and after 
a long march and mucli fighting at various points, the command reached 
Marion, Va., on the 17th, when a detachment of the 11th, then f>rniing a 
])art of the brigade of Colonel Brown, coming upon the enemy under 
Breckinridge, charged his cavalry and opened the engagement, which con- 
tinued with much vigorous fighting f )r thirty-six hours, during which re- 
peated and daring charges were made by both sides, and the enemy, after 
the most determined fighting, fell back in disorder across the mountains 
into North Carolina. A detachment of the 11th Michigan, numbering one 
hundred and twenty officers and men, under the command of Captain E. 
C. Miles, held a bridge during the whole engagement which was of much 
importance, being the key to the position held by the LTnion troops. 
Captain George B. Mason, while gallantly attempting to reinforce Captain 

S* 



298 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Miles with a squadron of the regiment, was mortally wounded. The bridge 
was stubbornly held under a severe fire from a heavy force on the opposite 
side of the river, and, in addition to the loss of Captain Mason, Lieutenant 
Davis and five enlisted men nobly fell in its defence. For this important 
service, the detachment of Captain Miles received the highest praise from 
General Stoneman, and the regiment was thanked in the general orders of 
the department commander for its meritorious and valuable services in the 
battle of Marion. 

On the 19th of January, 1865, the regiment being stationed at Lexing- 
ton, Ky., moved to Mount Sterling, and. was engaged in scouting the 
eastern portion of Kentucky. On February 23d it started to join General 
Stoueman's command at Knoxville, reaching there, via Louisville, Ky., 
and Nashville, Tenn., March 15th, when it was assigned to 2d brigade, and 
formed part of the force on Stoueman's expedition through East Tennessee, 
North and South Carolina, and Georgia. The command left Knoxville, 
March 17th, and passed through Boon, N. C, on the 27th, crossed the 
Yadkin river on the 30th, passing through Mount Airy on the 31st, Hills- 
dale, April 1st, and arrived at Christiansburg April 3d, where it destroyed 
a portion of the East Tennessee railroad, and passing through Danbury, 
April 9th, Germantown, April 10th, and arriving at Salisbury, April 12th, 
it engaged a superior force of the enemy, and captured 1,800 prisoners, 22 
pieces of artillery, and destroyed a large amount of property, and also the 
railroads and telegraph lines leading from that point. In this engagement 
Captain John Edwards was killed. From Salisbury the command marched 
via Taylorsville on the 14th, passing Lenoir Station on the 15th, and was 
engaged at Morgantovvn on the 17th. On the 19th it proceeded to Swan- 
anoa Gap, and passing through Rutherford ton on the 20th, Hendersouville 
on the 23d, arriving at Ashville on the 26th, taking at that pohit two hun- 
dred prisoners, and capturing a large amount of property, including artil- 
lery. Passing again through Hendersonville on the 27th, the command 
entered South Carolina, via Saluda Gap and Csesar's Head, arriving at 
Anderson Court-house May 1st. It destroyed the remnant of the rebel 
treasury, then moved to Carnesville, Ga., on the 3d, and to Athens on the 
4th, and on the 11th captured the cavalry escort of Jefferson Davis near 
Washington, moving to Hartwell on the 13th, the command guarding the 
crossing points of the Tugaloo and Savannah rivers. On the 22d, crossing 
the Savannah river, reached Maxwell's Farm, S. C. ; on the 23d, Green- 
ville, and on the 25th, Ashville, N. C, and Greenville, Tenn., on the 27th ; 
Strawberry Plains on the 29th, Knoxville on June 3d, and arrived at Le- 
noir Station June 4th, and encamped until the 24lli, when the regiment 
moved by rail to Pulaski, and on the 20th of July it was consolidated with 
the 8th Michigan cavalry. 

THE "MERRILL HORSE" CAVALRY. 

In September, 1861, two companies of cavalry were raised respectively 
by Captain James B. Mason and Captain Jabez H. Rogers, at Battle 
Creek, and in January, 1863, another company was recruited by Captain 
Almon K. Preston, of the same place. These companies wore (iosignatcd 
as companies II, I, and L of the regiment known as the "Merrill Horse," 
a jNlissouri organization, and served during the whole term of the service 
with the Western armies. It is known to have been actively engaged, and 
to have seen much service in the field during the period covered by this 
report, but the returns of these companies are very meagre in the details 



THE "MERRILL HORSE" CAVALRY— THE LIGHT ARTILLERY. 299 

of their operations, consequently it has been impossible to give a full and 
satisfactory sketch of their movements and services. 

It has been ascertained that they were in engagements and skirmishes as 
follows: Memphis, Mo., July 18, 1862; Moor's Mill, Mo., July 28, 1802; 
Kirsvillc, Mo., August G, 1862 ; Brownsville, Ark., August 25, 1803 ; 
Bayou ]\Iecoe, Ark., August 27, 1805 ; Ashley's Bayou, Ark., September 7, 
1803 ; Little Rock, Ark., September 10, 1803 ; Benton, Ark., September 
11, 1803 ; Princeton, Ark., December 8, 1803 ; Little Missouri lliver, 
Ark., April 3, 4, 1804 ; Prairie Dehan, Ark., April 12, 13, 14, 1864 ; Cam- 
den, Ark., April 15, 1804; Jenkins' Ferry, Ark., April 29, 30, 1804; 
Franklin, Mo., October 1, 1864 ; Otterville, Mo., October 10, 1864 ; Inde- 
pendence, Mo., October 22, 1804 ; Big Blue, Mo., October 23, 1804 ; Tren- 
ton Gap, Ga., :March 22, 1865 ; Alpine, Ga., March 24, 1805 ; Summer- 
ville, Ga., March 25, 1805. 

On May 1, 1805, they were at Resaca. On the 9th left for Kingston, 
arriving there same day, and on the 20th started with the regiment f )r 
Atlanta as an escort to a supply train, arriving at that point on the 23d, 
and were then ordei'ed to return with the train loaded with cotton to Chat- 
tanooga. On September 21st following they were mustered out of service 
at Nashville, and soon thereafter paid oif and disbanded. They were 
known as Michigan companies, and their officers were commissioned by the 
Governor of the State. 

THE LIGHT ARTILLERY. 

The regiment of Michigan light artillery was composed of twelve six-gun 
batteries. It Avas commanded by Colonel C. O. Loomis ; but, from the 
character of that arm of the service, the batteries were never brought to- 
gether as a regiment. 

Battery A, originally designated Loomis's, left the State under conunand 
of Colonel Loomis, on July 1, 1801, for the field in Western Virginia; and 
at Rich IMountain, in July following, while serving with General McClel- 
lan, first engaged the enemy, and thus early in the war gave the rebels a 
taste of its pluck. 

Passing through the Western Virginia campaign, it was transferred to 
Kentucky, and was in advance in the route of the rebels from Bowling 
Green. 

At the battle of Perryville it played an important part, saving by its 
gallant and effective service the right wing of the Union army from being 
flanked. 

Fighting through many other battles, where its vigorous action, stubborn 
pluck, and brilliant dash gave it an enviable reputation throughout the 
whole army, it is found hotly engaged during the memorable days and 
nights of hard and desi)erate fighting in the bloody battle of Stone River, 
where it lost heavily, but achieved a most noted distinctitm, second to no 
battery in the service, and the history of the times will bear witness to its 
noted fame in the ages that shall follow. 

From the annals of the Army of the Cumberland, we take the following 
extract : 

" During the battle of Friday, at Stone River, General Rousseau rode up 
to Loomis's battery, and saw thei'e a youth of the battery holding horses, 
and in the midst of a very tempest of shot and shell. He was so uncon- 
scious of fear, and so elated and excited, that, being debarred from better 
occupation than holding horses, his high spirits found vent in shouting out 



300 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

sonjTS aijcl dancing to the music. The General was so well pleased with his 
whole deportment, that he rode up to him and said : 'Well done, lAy brave 
boy ; let me shake hands with you.' A few days after the fight, General 
Kousseau visited the camp of the battery, and mentioning the circumstance 
to the commanding officer, expressed a desire to see the youth again. ' Step 
out, Mclntire,' said the officer. The youth came forward, blushing deeply. 
The General again commended his conduct, and said : ' I shook hands with 
you on the battle-field, and now I wish to do it again in the presence of your 
brother soldiers. May you carry the same brave spirit through the war, 
and come out safely at last, as you are sure to come out honorably.' The 
General again sliook his hand warmly in the presence of his officers and of 
his companions." 

The gallant services of this battery and Guenther's, fighting by its side, 
were conspicuous, demanding the attention of the general officers, while 
General Rousseau, specially noticing them in his report, says : 

"As the enemy emerged from the woods in great force, shouting and cheer- 
ing, the batteries of Loomis and Guenther, double-shotted with canister, 
opened upon them. They moved straight ahead for a while ; but were 
finally driven back with immense loss. In a little while they rallied again, 
and, as it seemed, with fresh troops again assailed our position, and were 
again, after a fierce struggle, driven back." 

This high compliment to their fighting qualities is strongly endorsed in 
the " Rebellion Record," by Mr. Greeley, who says : 

"After debouching from cedars, Loomis and Guenther could find no good 
position for their batteries, and the whole line fell back under severe fight- 
ing, the left wing flat upon tlie ground, the right covered by a crest. The 
two batteries now swiftly wheeled into favorable positions and poured double- 
shotted canister into the enemy. The 23d Arkansas was literally swept 
away by their devouring fire. Loomis and Guenther were wild with delight 
at their success. The baffled enemy came no farther. The field was red 
with the blood of their slain." 

At Chicamauga, September 19th and 20th, the record is nobly main- 
tained and gloriously almost ended. There, sooner than abandon its posi- 
tion, it suffered nearly annihilation ; making one of the most determined 
defences on record ; dealing to the rebel hosts, pressing up in nuisses to the 
muzzle of the guns, utter destruction within its entire range; but finally had 
to surrender the guns so dearly prized, Lieut. Van Pelt, its conimander, 
fighting most heroically for their preservation, and dying by their side. 
Mr. Greeley, in noticing this great struggle on the 19th, says : 

" It was now 9 A. M., and while Baird and ]5rannan were making the 
required movements, Palmer's division, of Crittenden's corps, came uj) and 
took position on Baird's right. By 10 A. M. Croxton's brigade, of Bran- 
nan's division, had become engaged, driving back Forrest's cavalry, when 
Ector's and Wilson's infantry brigades were sent in by Walker to ]'^)r rest's 
support. Croxton, of course, was brought to a dead halt ; but now Thomas 
sent up Baird's division, and the rebel brigades were hurled back badly 
cut up. Hereupon, Walker in turn sent up Liddell's division, making the 
odds against us two to one, when Baird was in turn driven ; the rebels 
charging through the lines of the 14th. 10th, and 18th U.S. regulars, taking 
two batteries. 

" One of the batteries here lost was the 1st Michigan, formerly Loomis's, 
regarded by the whole army with pride, and by those who served in it with 
an aflection little short of idolatry. It had done yeoman service on many a 
hard-fought field, and was fondly regarded as well nigh invincible. But 



THE LIGHT ARTILLERY. 301 

now abandoned by its supports, wlio recoiled before a rebel charge in over- 
whelming force, with all its horses shot, and most of its men killed and 
wounded, it could not be drawn off, and was doomed to be lost. Its com- 
mander, Lieut. Van Pelt, refused to leave it, and died, sword in hand, fight- 
ing— one against a thousand — by the side of his guns." 

Battery Ji went to the field from Grand Kapids about the latter part of 
1801, in command of Capt. W. S. Bliss, and was in the desperate fight at 
Pittsburg Landing, and while heavily engaged became cut off from its in- 
fantry supports by the enemy's cavalry, losing four of its guns and having 
sixty of its officers and men taken as prisoners. The battery was reoi-gan- 
ized after the exchange of officers and men taken at Pittsburg Landing, and 
passed through much hard and useful service and many severe engage- 
ments, including the defence of Corinth by Gen. Rosccransin 1862. It was 
with the army while advancing on Atlanta in 1864, and engaged the enemy 
at E.esaca on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of ^Lay, where Lieut. Wright was 
severely wounded. It was also engaged at Lay's Ferry, Calhoun Ferry, 
Rome Cross-roads, and Cave Springs, Georgia, and at Turkey Ridge, Ala- 
bama. 

On November loth it commenced the memorable march with General 
Sherman's army from Atlanta, and on the 22d following engaged the enemy 
at Griswold, near Macon, doing excellent service, distinguishing itself by 
steady, rapid, and precise firing, doing nuich execution. In this engage- 
ment the brigade to which it was attached, numbering only about 1,500, 
defeated the enemy in very superior force, killing, wounding, and taking 
prisoners from 1,500 to 2,000, the brigade losing only about eighty. Tlie 
loss of the battery was seven wounded, including its commander, Capt. A. 
F. R. Arndt ; two of the enlisted men losing each a leg and one an arm. 
In this engagement the battery behaved most gallantly, and fought until the 
last round of ammunition was expended, all the horses of one gun killed, 
and only saved the piece by drawing it from the field by the prolong. 

Lieut. Bliss, of this battery, was taken prisoner at the battle of Shiloh, 
Tennessee, April 6, 1862, and was sent to Montgomery, Ala., where he was 
murdered by a rebel sentinel May 1st, 1862, under the following circuni- 
stances : Lieut. Bliss had permission to go to a house near the prison and 
purchase milk for the convalescent officers in the prison ; on one of these 
errands, accompanied by a sentinel and while waiting for the canteens to 
be filled by the woman of the house, he was ordered l)y the rebel sentinel to 
" Hurry up." Bliss replied, " Yes, as soon as I can get my canteens." The 
sentinel cocked his musket and placed the muzzle against Lieut. Bliss's 
breast. Bliss said, " I hope you will not shoot me." The sentinel replied, 
"Yes, I will, you damned Yankee;" and at the same moment fired. Bliss 
fell to the ground and never spoke again ; he lived about three-quarters of 
an hour after being shot. So far as is known no action was taken by the 
rebel authorities in the matter. 

This statement regarding his death was given by the woman of the house 
where it occurred and who was an eye-witness of the nmrder. The woman 
was obliged soon after to flee North to save her own life, she having shown 
many acts of kindness to the Union troops who were prisoners of war at 
that place. 

Battery C first met the rebels at the siege of Corinth, Mississippi, in ]\Iay. 
1862. On September 16th following the battery, in command of Capt. A. 
W. Dees, was sent from Burusville on a reconnoissance towards luka. Miss., 
made by the 2d brigade, 2d division. Army of the Mississippi. About six 
miles from that place the command was met by the enemy's pickets, which 



302 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

were driven in, and the force advanced. The line of battle was formed on 
a hill commanding the country fon about a mile. Two of the guns of the 
battery (10-pounder Parrott and 10-pounder howitzer) were placed on the 
brow of the hill, throwing shot and shell. The other two guns of the battery 
were soon after into position, and the firing continued fjr about fifteen 
minutes. The force advanced through an open field below the hill, and, 
reaching the wood on the other side, turned to the right, when the infantry 
and cavalry advanced and opened fire on the enemy. The firing was brisk 
on both sides for a short time, when a retreat was ordered, the battery cov- 
ering. On falling back to the hill before-mentioned a halt was made, the 
battery reopened fire, and shelled in several directions. On the advance 
of the skirmishers toward a wood about a mile distant the enemy opened a 
brisk fire from the edge of the wood, when the battery again opened fire 
from a 10-pounder Parrott, shelling the enemy with such good effect that 
he very soon left the wood. Soon night came on and the firing ceased. 

On the morning of the 3d October, 1862, the battery, in command of 
Lieut. George Robinson, with a section of the 8th Wisconsin battery, all 
being under the command of Lieut. C. A. Lamberg, of battery C, mai'ched 
from a point on the Kossuth road, four miles from Corinth, with the 1st 
brigade, 2d division. Army of Mississippi, towards Corinth, and took a po- 
sition southwest of the town. On the morning of the 4th, the battery was 
stationed on the north of the JNIemphis and Charleston Railroad Depot. 
About 4 A. M. the enemy commenced shelling the town, throwing several 
shells into the battery, but without effect. The battery was placed in posi- 
tion a short distance to the right, and afterwards in rear of General Rose- 
crans' headquarters, with an diio battery on its right ; seeing the enemy's 
skirmishers in front, firing was commenced on them about 8 A. M., when 
they disappeared. Later in the day a large force of the enemy appeared, 
advancing on the right and front of the battery, when it again opened fire, 
driving tlicm back into the woods. They soon advanced in greater f )rce, 
when the guns were double-shotted with canister, and a rapid fire was opened 
with good effect for about an hour, but the enemy continued to advance. 
The infantry on the right of the Ohio battery broke, when it limbered up 
and retired, leaving the right flank of the Michigan battery exposed and 
without support. The enemy being within twenty yards of the guns, and 
unable to maintain the position, it limbered to the rear and moved to the 
south side of the IMemphis and Charleston railroad, and from there to the 
rear of General Rosecrans' headquarters, when the firing ceased; the enemy 
being driven back at all points in a very demoralized condition. During 
the engagement the battery lost eleven in wounded and missing, and had 
six horses killed and eight wounded. 

On this occasion it acquired a high reputation for eflRciency and bravery 
and as a serviceable and reliable battery. 

The battery, in command of Capt. George Robinson, served on the At- 
lanta campaign with much enviable reputation, and participated in the siege 
of that stronghold. After its fall it followed Sherman to the sea, and among 
other battles on that great campaign was hotly engaged at the South Edisto, 
S. C, on February 9th, 1865, acquiring much distinction and losing several 
killed and wounded. 

liattory D, on leaving the State in 1861, proceeded to Kentucky, and first 
encountered the rebels, damaging them much at Hoover's Gap, Tennessee, 
on the 20111 of June, 1862, when Rosecrans was advancing on Tullahoma 
and Chattanooga. 

It eeems from the record of this battery that its most prominent fight wa« 



THE LIGHT ARTILLERY. 303 

at the great battle of Chicaraauga on the 19th and 20th September, 18G3, 
where, in command ofCapt. J. W. Church, it became closely and holly en- 
gaged, behaving in splendid style, but losing heavily, having nine wounded 
and three missing ; among the wounded was its commander. 

It was also in the assault on ]\Iission Ilidge Novend)er 25th following. 
On the preceding day the battery aided in covering Hooker's advance up 
Lookout ]\Iountain. On both of these occasions it proved a serviceable bat- 
tery, and its sj)lendid firing and valuable services attracted much attention. 

Battery E, raised and organized, in connection with the regiment of 
engineers and mechanics, by Captain John J. Dennis, left the IState in 
18(31, going into the held witli the Western army, was attached to General 
Crittenden's command at the battle of I'ittsburg Landing, and there first 
met the rebels, in 18G4 it accompanied General Rousseau on a raid into 
Alabama and Georgia, and was engaged at the battles of Coosa and Che- 
raw, Alabama. 

The battery participated with much credit in the gallant defence of 
Nashville by General Thomas, in December, 18G4, gaining an enviable 
reputation in that important afiair. 

The first station of batteiy F in the field was at West Point, Ky., where, 
under command of Captain John S. Andrews, who raised and organized 
the battery, it garrisoned that post for several months in the spring of 1862. 
Its first engagement Avith the enemy was at Henderson, Ky., in tlmt year. 
After undergoing much hard service, with a great amount of marching in 
1863 and in the early part of 1864, it is found in IMay of that year with 
General Sherman's army, on the Atlanta campaign, and attached to the 
2d division, 2od corps. It passed through numerous engagements on that 
campaign, maintaining a high reputation for ])romptness and efficiency. 
Among its principal encounters Avith the enemy may be classed its severe 
fight at Utoy creek, Ga., on August 4, where, in command of Lieutenant 
Miller, it vigorously engaged the enemy with some loss, and had the equip- 
ments and wheels of two guns literally shot to pieces, but bravely holding 
its position and finally silencing two rebel batteries. In this afiair the l)at- 
tery attracted much attention and favorable comment on account of its 
stubborn and eftective fighting. 

The battery was transferred with General Scofield's command to the 
North Carolina coast early in 1865. Bting stationed at Newborn on IMarch 
od, it left that point, in command of Captain Paddock, Avith the 1st di- 
vision, 2od cor])s, and became engaged with the enemy at Wise's Forks, 
March 10th, with some loss in killed and wounded. In this engagement 
the battery maintained its previous high reputation for gallant service and 
daring pluck. 

The next battery that left the State for the field was G, raised and 
organized in 1862 by Captain C. H. Lamphere, in connection with the 13th 
infantry, at Kalamazoo, and was stationed at West Point, Ky., in February 
following, whence it proceeded to Cumberland Gap, Last Tennessee, iu 
May, and fir«t engagctl the enemy at Tasewell. 

In November following it was ordered to Memphis, and from thence to 
the Yazoo river. Miss., and, in command of Captain Lamphere. took an 
active part in the battle of Chickasaw Bayou, December 28th and 29th, 
and was heavily engaged, losing ten wounded, two mortally, with eight 
horses killed or disabled. The loss of the battery at this point indicates 
its gallant and valuable service. 

It participated in the Vicksburg campaign, and served with the 2d bri- 
gade, belonging to the 9th division, 13th corps. The battery was engaged 



304 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

in the figlit near Port Gibson, on May 1, 18G3, where it acquired ranch dis- 
tinction, and was mentioned in the report of General JNIcClernand as fol- 
lows : "The splendid practice of Lamphere's and Foster's batteries disabled 
two of the enemy's gnns, and contributed largely to this success." 

The rendezvous of battery PI was in INIonroe in connection with the loth 
infantry, and left that place, under command of Captain Samuel De Gobyer, 
on the loth of March, 1862, to report to General Plalleck at St. Louis; 
thence it was ordered to New IMadrid, ]\Io. Served afterwards in Ken- 
tucky, West Tennessee, and Northern jNIississippi, and took an active part 
in the Mississippi campaign preceding the siege of Vicksburg. 

At Thompson's Hills, Miss., May 1, 1863, it first encountered the rebels, 
and then at Raymond, May 12th following, where it received much favor- 
able comment on its rapid and effective fire. Greeley, in his " American 
Conflict," on noticing the battle of Raymond, makes the following mention 
of the gallant and valuable services rendered by the battery in that affair: 

" The fight here Avas a short one. The rebels opened with great fury, 
attempting to charge and capture De Gobyer's battery, which was in posi- 
tion in our front, but being repulsed by a terrific fire of grape and canister, 
they broke and fled precipitately." 

The following extract from the " Rebellion Record " still further credits 
the battery for excellent and gallant service on the occasion referred to: 

"Shortly after the opening of the fight, Captain De Gobyer's battery 
(8th Michigan) was ordered to the front, and took a commanding position 
for the purpose of dislodging the enemy from the woods, the infantry having 
proven iiself inadequate to the task. The James rifled guns of De Gobyer's 
battery opened, and commenced pouring a heavy fire of shell into the rebel 
columns. The enemy now, for the first time, opened artillery upon us. His 
aim was good, succeeding in making our infantry change position. But 
his purpose was to silence the 8th Michigan battery, and he failed in that. 
Finding it impossible to silence the guns with artillery, the rebels attempted 
a charge upon the battery. A regiment of men essayed the hazardous 
undeitaking. AVJiile they were removing a fence, preparatory to making 
the (lecisive dash, the battery opened on them. Our men fired two shells 
into their midst, both of which burst among them, killing and wounding a 
large number, and causing the entire column to fall back in disorder. At 
their inglorious withdrawal our infantry sent up a few rousing cheers, which 
had the effect of accelerating the speed of the fugitives, and inspiring our 
whole command with a new zeal and determination to press forward to a 
victory of wiiich tliey felt certain, even when the fortunes of the day seemed 
to turn against them. 

"The rebels, defeated in their attempt to capture our battery, found them- 
selves compelled to fall back to a position immediately in the rear of Farn- 
den's creek." 

The battery participated in the fight at " Champion Hills," with loss, and 
then was actively engaged in the siege of Vicksburg until its surrender, 
where, on the 28th of May, its gallant commander, Captain De Gobyer, 
received a wound, which caused his death on the 8th of August following. 
Battery I, raised and organized in Detroit by Captain J. J. Daniels, left 
the State with the 5th cavalry on December 4, 1862, for Washington, D. 
C. On April 27, 1863, Captain Daniels, with his battery, encountered the 
rebels at Aldie, Va.; then at Gettysl)urg, during that great battle, where on 
July 3d it became heavily engaged, losing one killed and four wounded, and 
acquiring much credit for vigorous and brave fighting. On October 27th 
following it was ordered to the Department of the Cumberland, arriving at 



THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 305 

Nashville on the 12th of November. In April, 1864, it was attached to 
the od division, 20th corps, and afterwards participated in the Georgia 
campaign, and was in the various engagements of that great undertaking, 
including the memorable siege of Atlanta. 

On the 27th and 28th of June, when under command of Captain L. R. 
Smith, it fought the enemy at New rio])e Church with loss ; on the 17th at 
Lost Mountain, losing some; and at Marietta, on July 13th, again became 
engaged and lost lightly. 

These are some of the most noted fights of this battery, in all of which it 
behaved with determined courage and perseverance, securing final success 
in these as well as in all others in wiiich it was engaged. 

The next battery (K) went from Grand Rapids, under command of Cap- 
tain John C. Schultz, arriving at AVashington, D. C, March 1, 1863, and 
served on duty at various forts in that vicinity, until October 28th, when it 
left Washington for Nashville, Tenn., and Avas again assigned to garrison 
duty and service on gunboats and transports on the Cumberland river. A 
portion of the battery assisted with much spirit and vigor in repelling an 
attack of the rebel General Wheeler's force on Dalton, Ga., in 1864. 

Battery L had its rendezvous at Coldwatcr, being organized by Captain 
Charles J.Thompson, in connection witli the 9th cavalry, and went to Ken- 
tucky in May, 1863. First fought the rebels at Triplett's Bridge, Ky., on 
June 15th following. A portion of the battery was the first artillery to 
open on JMorgan's forces at Buffington's Island, on July 19th, and gained 
much notoriety by its rapid and efiective fire on that occasion. 

The last battery of the regiment ( jNI) left Dearborn, its rendezvous, under 
command of Captain Edward G. Ilillier, and went to Indianapolis in July, 
1863, thence in the pursuit of JMorgan, tlien on his raid through Indiana 
and Ohio. In the latter part of 1863 and in 1864 it served in East Ten- 
nessee, and Avas engaged with the enemy at Blue Springs, October 10th; at 
Walker's Ford, December 2, 1863; and at Tazewell on January 21, 1864, 
behaving on every occasion with uniform efficiency. 

The loth battery, commanded by Captain C. II. O'Riordan, left Grand 
Rapids, where it was recruited, and arrived in Washington on the 7th of 
February, 1864. During its service it was mostly stationed in the forts 
around that city, and for a short time Avas mounted as cavalry for scouting 
purposes. On the 11th and 12th of July, 1864, under command of Captain 
Charles Dupont, it assisted in the defence of Fort Stevens against an attack 
of Early's forces then threatening Washington. On that occasion it proved 
a serviceable and reliable battery, its fire being used Avith good effect on 
the enemy. 

On February 1, 1864, the 14th battery moved from Kalamazoo for Wash- 
ington, under the command of Ca^itain Charles Heine, and garrisoned forts 
in that vicinity during its entire service. While General Early Avas seeking 
to attack Washington it took a creditable and conspicuous part in the 
action near Forts Stevens and Slocum on the 11th, 12th, and 13th of July, 
1864. 

THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 

The regiment of Michigan sharp-shooters, organized and commanded by 
Colonel C. V. De Land, commenced its services in Indiana in 1863, in pur- 
suit of the notorious rebel Morgan, Avhile he Avas raiding through that 
State and Ohio, having an encounter Avith his rear-guard. The i-egiment 
was afterAvards stationed at Chicago, guarding rebel prisoners, and subse- 
T 



306 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

quently joined the 9th array corps at Annapolis, Md., in March, 1864, and 
with much distinction and gallantry participated in the important battles 
of that celebrated corps which followed. 

In May, 1864, the sharp-shooters belonged to Colonel Christ's 2d brigade, 
of the 2d division, commanded by General 0. B. Wilcox, and commenced 
their first important engagements with the enemy in the memorable battles 
of the AVilderness, sustaining a loss of twenty-five in killed, wounded, and 
missing. 

On these occasions they performed commendable service for a new and 
inexperienced regiment, and in the second day's battle bore an active and 
distinguished part with their veteran associates; and soon following these 
battles came that of Spottsylvania, in which it became signally celebrated. 
On ^lay 9th the 9th corps moved forward in the direction of Spottsyl- 
vania, the 3d division in the advance, and before noon encountered the 
enemy, when the lines were formed, the sharp-shooters, ill command of 
Colonel C. V. De Land, on the left. Immediately the division experienced 
severe fighting ; for a time the line wavered, but advanced quickly, 
gaining ground all day, and on the 10th, with the corps, crossed the Po 
river, and went into position on the heights southwest of the river, where 
its artillery commanded the junction of the two great Avagon roads which 
the rebels had to hold in order to cover Richmond. Heavy skirmishing 
continued on the 11th, and the height of the fighting was reached on the 
next day, said to have been acknowledged by the Generals of both armies 
as one of the bloodiest of the campaign. The rain having continued for 
two days, the roads had become totally impassable, and it was only by the 
most persistent and overtasking exertions that the 9th and 2d corps were 
joined and put in a defensive position. The rebel General, moving on 
plank and macadamized roads, took quick advantage of this state of affairs 
to make a tremendous onslauglit upon the 9th corps while thus isolated and 
unsupported, with a swollen and almost impassable river in its rear. Gen- 
eral Burnside, not waiting to be attacked, initiated the action, and the 
fighting commenced at 4 o'clock A. I\I., tlie 1st division (Crittenden's) in 
front, assisted by the 2d division (Potter's) maintained the action until 
noon, when the 3d divisicm (Wilcox's) was put in, when a most determined 
and vigorous attack was made by the 1st brigade, under General Ilartranft, 
which drove the rebels into their works and gave the Union troops a most 
decided advantage, and the division Avas instantly formed and ordered to 
assault the main line of works, while, at the same time, as was afterwards 
ascertained, Anderson's corps of the rebel array had been preparing to 
charge to dislodge the Union troops. 

The Federal line swiftly advanced, with a cheer, to the desperate con- 
test. Answering back came tlie shrill yell of the rebel hosts, as if in con- 
fident defiance. Midway the space between the two lines of battle the two 
charging columns met, amid the thick smoke of battle, in a dense thicket 
of pines ; the bloody struggle commenced, and almost in an instant after 
the first shock they became mixed in inextricable confusion, and the charge 
became a series of furious and unrelenting hand-to-hand encounters. At 
length the superior numbers of the rebels began to force the Union lines to 
retire; regiment after regiment fell slowly and sullenly back, and the 
whole left was in retreat. Tlie terrible sacrifice of the troops attest their 
valor and the magnitude of the struggle. 

On a little knoll, among the thick spindling pine, where their rifles com- 
manded tlie country for their full range, rallied two Michigan regiments — 
the 1st sharp-shooters, Colonel De Land, and the 27th, Major Moody, while 



THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 307 

a little back, in a ravine, was the 14th New York battery, supported by 
the 2d Michigan infantry. The combat, slowly, sullenly, disastrously 
rolling down from the left, was bursting upon them, when Colonel Humph- 
rey, of the 2d Michigan, commanding brigade, cool as an iceberg and reso- 
lute as fate, said : "Boys, this must be stopped." The leaden hail pattered 
and whistled with terrific furor, but the little band stood firm. More than 
once the bold rebels laid tlieir hands on the guns of the battery only to be 
driven back by well-directed volleys. A cheer arose, the rebels were 
checked, broken, but not defeated ; in incredible short time they had re- 
formed, and again the fearful struggle was renewed. On the right stood 
the 27th, fighting with unequalled coolness and bravery; everything on 
the left of tlie sharp-shooters had been swept away, and the attack im their 
front and flank, with both infantry and artillery pouring in shot and shell, 
was terrific ; but they gallantly held their ground. On the left of the sharp- 
shooters were a company of civilized Indians, in command of the gallant 
and lamented young Graveraet, an educated half-breed — as brave a band 
of warriors as ever struck a war-path ; they suffered dreadfully, but never 
faltered nor moved, sounding the war-whoop with every volley, and their 
unerring aim quickly taught the rebels they were standing on dangerous 
ground. The fighting continued on. Near night a rumor runs along the 
lines that ammunition is gone, and the cry of give them the steel is received 
with a cheer. The attack has again been repulsed, and the storm lulls; 
the fight is losing its horrid fury, and ' with a fearful burst of artillery it 
sinks into a scattered skirmish, but not until the darkness came did the 
battle cease. During this fearful and bloody day Col. De Land was twice 
struck and prostrated by the flying missiles, but badly injured as he was 
remained faithful to his command. The regiment lost 34 killed, 117 
wounded, and 4 missing. Among the killed was Major John Piper, a 
brave and lamented officer, who, after several years of hard and faithful 
service, fell by a shot through the brain. 

Passing through Grant's great campaign on Richmond with much credit 
and crossing the James river, it arri\'ed with its division in front of Peters- 
burg June 16, 1864, and on the next day, while in command of Major Le- 
vant C. Rhines, became so heavily engaged and so specially distinguished 
in charging and holding the enemy's works and repelling his repeated as- 
saults to retake them that this bloody battle becomes one of the most prom- 
inent events in the history of the regiment. 

The position of the regiment being on the extreme left of the corps, and the 
5th corps failing to connect the line after the capture of the rebel works, a 
large gap was left through which the rebels poured their troops, and most 
severe fighting occurred, the regiment most gallantly repulsing the enemy 
in two successive and vigorous charges, taking two officers and eighty-six 
men prisoners, and the colors of the 35th North Carolina, which were cap- 
tured by Corporal Benj. F. Young, of company I, who was promoted for 
distinguished gallantry on the occasion. During the engagement the left 
of the regiment became completely enveloped, and was placed in a position 
compelling it either to surrender or cut its way through the rebel lines ; the 
last-named resort was determined on, and having first destroyed the nation- 
al color of the regiment to prevent its falling into the hands of the enemy, 
then commenced fighting its way out, and finally succeeded in getting through 
the rebel lines. The gallant Major Rhines fell in this desperate struggle, 
together with 31 killed and died of wounds, 46 wounded, and 84 missing. 

Capt. Thomas H. Gaffney died at Washington, D. C, June 20th, 1864, 
of wounds received in action before Petersburg June 17th, 1864. 



308 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Lieut. Garrett A. Graveraet died at Wasliincjton, D. C, July 10, 1864, 
of wounds received in action before Petersburg June 17, 1864. 

Capt. George C. Kniglit and Lieut. INLartin Wager killed before Peters- 
burg; the former in action June 17th, and the latter in the trenches June 
23d, 1864. 

On tlie 30th of July the regiment led its brigade in the charge on the 
rebel works contiguous to the fort which was blown up by the " mine," and 
aided in carrying the works, taking about fifty prisoners. The rebels hav- 
ing finally succeeded in retaking the works it was obliged to retire, with a 
loss of three killed, twelve wounded, and thirty-three missing. The regi- 
ment remained in front of Petersburg until the lOth of August, when itAvas 
ordered to move to the Weldon railroad. Soon after its arrival it assisted 
in retaking a line of works from which our forces had been driven. Its 
loss in this af?air was one killed and two wounded. Until the 28th of Sep- 
tember the regiment was here engaged in the erection of fortifications. On 
the 30th of September it participated in the battle near Peebles' House, 
with a loss of three wounded and sixteen missing. The casualties of the 
regiment while in the trenches in front of Petersburg were twenty-seven 
killed and died of wounds and six wounded. On the 27th of October the 
regiment took part in the movement toward the South-Side Railroad, and 
was engaged during the day in skirmishing with the enemy, losing five men 
wounded. 

On April 2d, 1865, the regiment, while in command of Lieut. Col. W. A. 
Nichols and in the brigade of Col. Ralph Ely, again most signally acquired 
a very enviable notoriety and great credit i'or a most daring and brilliant 
achievement while making a demonstration in front of Petersburg, on the 
left of the enemy's works, for the purpose of drawing troops from his right 
while our forces were attacking him at other points. After making two 
efforts, under a very severe fire of musketry and artillery, the regiment suc- 
ceeded in getting hold on his works to the extent of its regimental front, 
which it held for an hour under a terrific fire. The object of the attack 
having been attained it was ordered btick to its former position, having suf- 
fered a heavy loss. On the next day, about 4 A. JNL, it was again ordered 
to advance, under the supposition that the enemy was withdrawing. On 
moving forward and finding that he had evacuated his works, it pushed on 
and was the first regiment to enter Petersburg, and, while Col. ICly was re- 
ceiving tlie surrender of the city, raised the first national flag on the court- 
house of that rebel stronghold. 

The capture of Petereburg was long and anxiously looked f)r, as leading 
to the immediate possession of Richmond by the Union forces. Itwasiinal- 
ly accomplished, the rebel army fled, and Richmond fell. Michigan troops 
were prominently instrumental in bringing ab.)ut the result. Colonel Ely's 
brigade of Michigan regiments, belonging to Wilcox's division, (1st,) Oth 
ctn-ps, were, as previously stated, the first to enter the city and i)lace their 
cok)r3 on the public buildings, raising one flag on the court-house and 
another on the custom-house ; Colonel Ely himself receiving the surrender 
of the city from the authorities. 

Gen. Wilcox, in the f )llo\ving report of the operations of his division in 
that affair, says : 

"I have the honor to report the operations of this division in the field 
from the 29th of March to the 9th of April, 1865, inclusive. 

"On the night of the 29th of March, at half-past 10 o'clock, the enemy 
opened on my lines, stretching from above Fort Morton to the Appomattox, 
with all their artillery of every description and some musketry from their 



THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 309 

main line. At about 11 o'clock the artillery lulled. I expected an ad- 
vance of the enemy's troops and was ready to receive them, but no attack 
was made, and a desultory firing of artillery only continued through the 
night. 

"It afterwards appeared from the official reports of the enemy that they 
thought that we had made an attack ; in fact, Major-General Gordon re- 
ported such to be the case, and that they had handsomely repulsed us; but 
although we were under orders from corps headquarters to be ready to at- 
tack, and I had caused to be distributed axes for cutting the enemy's abatis, 
yet no sort of attack was actually ordered or nuide on our front. 

" The sensitiveness of the enemy seemed to encourage our men. Prepara- 
tions were inade on the 31st as well as on April 1st lor a night attack op- 
posite Forts Steadman and Haskell, 3d brigade, and at a point in front of 
Ely's brigade, nearer the A})ponuittox. Through the night of the 2d va- 
rious demonstrations were made along the line, and the enemy's picket-i)its 
captured at various points, in pursuance of orders from corps headquarters, 
made in aid of o])erations being carried on on the left of the army. 

"At about 1 o'clock, on the morning of the 2d April, orders were received 
from corps headquarters to mass one brigade (except garrisons) by 4 o'clock 
on the same morning near Fort Sedgwick, on the 2d division front, whei'e Gen. 
Hartranft was to make a real attack with his division and a brigade from 
each of the other divisions, while, by the same order, I was directed to make 
a vigorous demonstration along my whole division line with the rest of my 
troops at the same hour. 

" Col. Harriman was accordingly detached, with staff officers who knew 
the road, tools, amnuuiition, and every possible aid, to report to Hartranft; 
and this brigade was in position and formed at the moment recpured. 

" The demonstration along the line began precisely at 4 by the 2d brigade, 
Brevet Col. Ralph Ely ; 3d brigade. Brevet Col. G. P. Robinson, ancl Col. 
Wm. J. Bolt(m, commanding 51st Pennsylvania, left on the 1st brigade line 
of entrenchments. Some of the enemy's ])icket-pits were captured near the 
" Old Crater " by Col. Bolton. The j)ickets of the 3d and 2d brigades, 
strongly reinforced, advanced handsomely, the artillery opened vigorously, 
and large })ortions of the enemy were down to oppose what they considered 
a real attack in force. 

" On the extreme right, near the Appomattox, a portion of Ely's brigade 
actually carried some two hundred yards of the enemy's works ; but our 
lines, two miles in length, were too nuich attenuated to hold the ground. 
Some seventj^-five prisoners were secured and brought in. Three regiments 
were withdrawn from other points and double-quicked to the point, but be- 
fore it could be reinforced the enemy had recovered it. 

" The effect of the movement, however, on the grand result was most 
happy, inasmuch as it contributed to weaken the enemy's line in front of 
Fort Sedgwick, where the real attack was cotnpletely successful. 

" For the handsome part performed by Harriman's brigade of this divi- 
sion at the latter point I respectfully refer you to his own report and that 
of Brevet Major-Gen. Hartranft, commanding at that i)art of the line. 

"Through the day offensive demonstrations were kept up, and the batte- 
ries playing in aid of the more serious work of the day going on further to 
the left.' 

"In the afternoon and evening the enemy strengthened their line opposite 
me; but about midnight of the 2d reports came up from Colonel Ely, com- 
manding 2d brigade, and Col. James Bentlifl', now commanding 3d brigade, 
by virtue of his rank, that there were signs of the enemy's withdrawing 



310 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

from our front, leaving only their picket line. I gave orders to the 2d bri- 
gade commanders to press through as soon as possible. 

" At about 2 A. M. on the 3d some of our parties broke through. 

"Beutliff's brigade advanced upon Cemetery Hill and Ely's more direct- 
ly into town, with a section of Stone's battery. I gave Col. Ely orders to 
take measures to at once secure order in the city. 

" At 4.28 one of Ely's flags, that of the 1st Michigan sharp-shooters, was 
raised on the court-house, and that of the 2d Michigan on the custom-house 
a i'ew minutes later, and guards were posted about the town." 

Tiie 2d and 20th Michigan infantry and 1st jNIichigan sharp-shooters Avere 
in the 2d brigade, commanded by Col. Ralph Ely, of the 8th Michigan. 

The 8th and 27th Michigan were in the 1st brigade. 

The 17th Michigan were acting as an engineer regiment at division head- 
quarters. 

THE FIRST INFANTRY. 

The 1st Michigan — the regiment which, under Colonel "Wilcox, led the 
advance of Michigan troops to the front — although hurriedly organized and 
hastily equipped, left the State a pattern regiment in every respect, none 
better having preceded it to the National Capital from any State ; arriving 
there at a critical time, when that place was in great and immediate danger 
of being attacked and captured by the rebels, whose troops then picketed 
the Potomac. Its presence aided much in establishing confidence among 
those in authority, that the Capital was safe, and its appearance in Penn- 
sylvania avenue was hailed with the cheers of loyal thousands. As it passed 
in review before the lamented Lincoln it received his highest praise, and 
through them he thanked the State for their prompt appearance in Wash- 
ington. 

The regiment was assigned to Heintzelman's division, and under Colonel 
Wilcox led the advance of the Union army across the Long Bridge into 
Virginia, on the 24th of ^lay, driving in the rebel pickets, and entering 
Alexandria via the road, simultaneously with the regiment of Ellsworth's 
Zouaves that entered it by steamer. 

The 1st ]\Iichigan took possession of the railroad depot, capturing near 
there a troop of rebel cavalry, numbering one hundred, with their horses 
and equipments. 

At the battle of Bull Run the regiment belonged to the brigade com- 
manded by Colonel Wilcox, and was in the hottest of the fight, eagerly 
pressing forward on the enemy, losing heavily, but fighting stubbornly and 
galhmtly. 

The Fire Zouaves, after charging bravely, but in vain, upon one of the 
heaviest of the rebel batteries, fell l)ack, when the Michigan 1st, then com- 
manded by Major Bidwell, which had been constantly associated with the 
Zouaves ever since Ellsworth fell at Alexandria, moved pr()mi)tly and rap 
idly forward and took their places. They charged in double-quick upon 
the battery once and again in splendid style, and yet it was not taken. 
They ))iished forward to the attempt a third time, and were again driven 
back before the deadly tire of the enemy. But the attack was not aban- 
dc)iied ; the brave fellows rallied for a fourth time to the deadly work ; but 
it was all in vain, the battery could not be taken. 

On that disastrous field the 1st established the highest standard for JNIich- 
igan troops, so uniformly and so remarkably maintained throughout the 
entire war. Its dead were found nearest the enemy's works. 



THE FIRST INFANTRY. 311 

In the engagement the loss of the regiment was heavy. Among the num- 
ber were Captain Butterworth, Lieutenants Mauch and Casey wounded and 
taken prisoners, and who afterwards died of their wounds in rebel custody. 
Colonel Wilcox was wounded, and, falling into the hands of the enemy, was 
held as a prisoner at Riclimond for about fifteen months. 

The regiment, on tlie expiration of its three months' term of service, re- 
turned to the State, and was mustered out August 7, 1861. It was soon 
after reorganized as a three years' regiment, and left for the Army of the 
Potomac August 16, 1861, commanded by Colonel John C. Robinson, then 
captain in the U. S. A., who continued to command it until April 28, 1862, 
when he was appointed a brigadier-general of volunteers, and was succeeded 
in command by Colonel il. S. Roberts, promoted from lieutenant-colonel. 
It went to the Peninsula with jNIcClellan, and was in the engagements at 
Mechanicsville, June 26th ; at Gaines' IMills, June 27th; at Malvern Hill, 
July 1st; and at tjraiusville, August 29th. The losses of the regiment in 
these engagements were not reported, excepting Captain O. C. Comstock 
who was killed at Gaines' Mills. 

It rendered most gallant and valuable service in many hard-fought bat- 
tles during the war, and suffered severe losses in killed and wounded. 

Among its numerous engagements none perhaps will be more vividly re- 
membered by the regiment than the disastrous charges so bravely made, but 
with such fearful loss, upon the rebel position along the Warrenton and 
Centreville turnpike on August 30, 18t32, during that disastrous series of 
engagements near Manassas, now known as the Second Battle of Bull 
Run. 

The regiment, under command of Colonel Roberts, was in General Fitz 
John Porter's corps, and had during the day been posted in the woods 
fronting the enemy's lines, and near one of his most important batteries. 
At 4 P. M. the order was given to advance and dislodge the rebels. The 
1st INIichigan, with the 18lh JMassachusetts and the 13th New York regi- 
ments of infantry, deployed column, and with cheers charged — 

" Forward, the Light Brigade ! 
Was there a man disiniiy'd ? 
Not tho' the soldier knew 
Some one had blundered; 
Theirs not to make reply, 
Theirs not to reason why, 
Theirs but to do or die — 
Into the Valley of Death 
Rode the six hundred. 

" Cannon to right of them, 
Cannon to left of them, 
Cannon in front of them, 

Volleyed and thunder'd; 
Storm'd at with shot and shell, 
Boldly they rode, and well, 

Into the jaws of Death, 
Into the very mouth of hell, 
Rode the six hundred." 

They instantly found themselves the target of a terrific fire from ambuslied 
infantry of the enemy, and from five batteries, i'our of wiiich had been 
masked, and hitherto unseen. The charge was a murderous one, and within 
a few moments fell eight officers and fifty per cent, of the regiment. The 
men stood their ground bravely and with veteran coolness, under these 



312 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

trying circumstances, and when the impossibility of success became a cer- 
tainty, and the order to retreat was given, fell back in good order to the 
woods, and reformed their division. Had victory been possible, their cour- 
age and persistency Avould have won it. Their demeanor amid disaster and 
defeat affords one of the greatest examples of true courage. 

Chaplain Arthur Edwards, then with the regiment, and who rendered most 
valuable and very acceptable service during the entire engagement, and 
throughout his whole term in the army was an exemplary chaplain, wrote 
at the time as follows : 

" The regiment deployed column and with cheers advanced towards the 
enemy, our right resting near the railroad embankment, the centre and left 
near a stone wall and railroad cut, in each of which places was posted a 
rebel battery. On our right and front was a force of the enemy's infantry, 
and as we advanced the regiment was subjected to a murderous fire from 
infantry and a cross-fire from five rebel batteries. The regiment suffered 
severely in crossing the open space. Colonel Roberts fell at an early mo- 
ment after it deployed out of the woods. Four captains and three lieuten- 
ants—Captains Charles E. Wendell, Russell H. Alcott, Eben T. Whittelsey, 
Edward Pomeroy, and Lieutenants H. Clay Arnold, J. L. Garrison, and 
W. Bloodgood — met their death, and more than fifty per cent, of the regi- 
ment were either killed or wounded. 

" Colonel Roberts was an active, efficient, brave, beloved, and is now a 
sincerely lamented leader. Captains Wendell, Alcott, Whittelsey, Pome- 
roy, and Lieutenants Arnold, Garrison, and Bloodgood were excellent offi- 
cers, whose loss will be felt by the regiment, and mourned by their personal 
acquaintances. 

" The regiment went into battle with twenty officers and two hundred and 
twenty-seven men. Of the former but four are in camp unhurt, and of the 
latter hardly one hundred and fifty. In the action the 1st was placed in 
the centre. In front was a rebel battery, and so destructive was its fire and 
so commanding its position, that General Porter ordered our brigade (Mar- 
tindale's, of Morrell's division) forward to capture it. The service was so 
desperate, and so very sure were our officers of the death that awaited them, 
that they shook hands with each other in farewell. Like heroes they 
pressed on to the charge, until, coming within range, the enemy opened 
four additional batteries, hitherto masked, and poured in a deadly fire. 
Tluis were they exposed to a cross-fire from five batteries at short range, 
throwing grape and canister, and to a flank fire of infantiy. The result 
may be easily seen. Men fell like grain in harvest. Colonel Roberts was 
shot in the breast by a IMinie ball, and lived about ten minutes. His words 
were: 'lam killed; tell Captain to take command of the regi- 
ment.' He seemed to feel that he was about to fall, for previous to his 
going to his place in line, he called mc aside, and, after leaving some pri- 
vate messages, said: 'I trust that Michigan will believe that I tried to do 
my duty.' " 

After the death of Colonel Roberts, Lieutenant-Colonel Franklin W. 
AVIiittelsey was promoted to tlie colonelcy of the regiment, but was absent 
from the field on account of injuries received on tlie Peninsula campaign. 

The regiment was engaged at Antietam, Septeml)er 17th, at Shepherds- 
town Ford, Sopte-nber 20tli, and at Fredericksburg, December loth and 
14th. At Fredericksburg it was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Ira C. 
Ab1)ott, and was heavily engaged, and lost one officer (Captain J. B. Ken- 
nedy) and seven men killed, together with seven officers and thirty-three 
men wounded. 



THE FIRST INFANTRY. 813 

After this engagement the regiment lay in camp near Falmouth until the 
27th of April following, when it moved with its corps and division in the 
direction of Chancellorsville. Crossing the Rappahannock and Rapidan, 
it reached that battle-ground on the oOth, after f )ur days of forced and 
heavy marching, and entered into action there with twenty-three officers 
and two hundred and forty muskets. ]?etween the 1st and 5th of May its 
losses in the various engagements in that vicinity Avere three men killed 
and seventeen wounded. Again resuming its camping ground near Fal- 
mouth, it lay there until the 28th of May, when the division to which it 
was attached moved to Morrisville, a two day's march, and on the 9th of 
June crossed the river as support to a cavalry force which advanced to 
Brandy Station, fighting all day, and returning to camp on the 10th. On 
the 14tli it broke camp at INIorrisville, and on the lOtli and 21st was in 
brisk skirmishes with the enemy's cavalry at Aldie. On the 26th the regi- 
ment crossed the Potomac into Maryland at Edward's Ferry, and after 
laborious and exhausting marchee, under a broiling sun, it reached Gettys- 
burg, Fenna., at 1:30 A. M., of the 2d of July. It entered into battle the 
same day with a force of twenty officers and one hundred and twenty-five 
men, sustaining a loss during the engagement of Captain Amos Ladd and 
four men killed, with six officers and twenty-five men wounded. Among 
the wounded was Colonel Abbott, disabled early in the action, who was 
succeeded in command by Lieutenant-Colonel W. A. Throop. It joined in 
the pursuit of the enemy on the 5th, and' on the 18th recrossed the Poto- 
mac into Virginia, aided in driving the rebels through Manassas Gap, and 
went into camp at Warrentou on the 27th, and at Beverley Ford on the 
8th of August. 

In the battle of the Wilderness, commencing May 5, 1864, this regiment, 
in command of W. A. Throop, especially distinguished itself It was in 
Bartlett's (3d) brigade, of Griffin's (1st) division, 5th corps, in the van of 
Grant's celebrated movement on Richmond, Avhich ultimately culminated 
in the fall of the rebel capital and the surrender of Lee's army. 

Near Robertson's Tavern, on the morning of the 5th, its picket line first 
discovered the advance of the kSouthern forces upon its division, in the 
thickest of the Wilderness. It fired the first musket of that glorious cam- 
paign, and its brigade checked the rebel advance on the road leading to 
Orange Court-house, and opened thus the last act of the great drama. In 
the opening engagements of the campaign it especially distinguished itself, 
and so constantly was it under fire, and so perilous were the duties to which 
it was assigned, that on the evening of the 8th, after a brilliant and suc- 
cessful ch^irge at Alsop's Farm, its gallant commander was only able to 
muster twenty-three men fit for active service. Colonel Throoj), in his re- 
port of the engagement on the 5th, states: "The regiment was detailed on 
the morning of the 4th of Mav to picket in front of the brigade, covering 
the road leading to Orange dourt-house, and connecting on the left with 
the pickets of the 2d brigade. There was at this time no enemy in our 
front, and during the night I received orders that the troops would move at 
5 A. j\[. of the 5th. At"5:30 A. M. I received written orders to withdraw 
my pickets and rejoin the brigade on the road to the Old Wilderness Tav- 
ern. Fifteen minutes before receiving the order to withdraw, the enemy 
was discovered coming down the road towards us, with a strong force of 
infixntry, preceded by cavalry. I therefore retained my picket line in po- 
sition, disposing my reserves to cover my right fiank and hold the road. 
The cavalry of the enemy approached to within four hundred yards of my 
picket line on the road, and his infantry deployed to' the right and left of 
T * 



314 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

the road in line of battle. The disposition of his forces was immediately 
reported by me, and the 18th Massachusetts and 20th Maine regiments 
were sent out to ray support, and moved up to the rear of my picket line, 
and formed in line of battle. The enemy had thrown out a very heavy 
line of skirmishers in my immediate front, and pushed them boldly forward 
into the edge of the wood against my lines, but without firing. Our lines 
having been formed, and everything in readiness, an attack was ordered, 
and I pushed my skirmish line forward at double-quick over an open field 
of a quarter of a mile, driving the enemy's picket line into the woods and 
on to their line of batt^. I was followed up by my brigade in two lines of 
battle, and the fight became general. Part of my skirmish line fought 
that of the enemy in the woods hand-to-hand, using the bayonet. Captain 
Bradish, a most gallant officer was killed, and Captain Stanway and Lieu- 
tenant Raymond were wounded, the former severely in the arm, while 
almost at the very muzzle of a rebel gun." 

During the following eight days it was almost continuously engaged in 
battle or in skirmishing, sustaining large losses, especially at the battle of 
Alsop's Farm, on the 8th, where the regiment came out of the engagement 
with only twenty-three men. Pressing forward with the army, it partici- 
pated in the battles of Spottsylvania, thence moved to the North Anna, and 
on the 23d took part in the engagement at Jericho Mills. Crossing the 
Pamunkey river, it advanced to near Cold Harbor and participated in the 
engagements near that place. 

Proceeding to James river with the army, it crossed that stream on the 
16th of June, and on the 17th arrived in front of Petersburg and became 
engaged in the ordinary duties in the trenches. On the 30th of September 
following the regiment participated in the movement of that date on the 
right of the enemy's line, near Poplar Grove Church, and participated in 
the desperate fighting that ensued. Unaided it stormed and carried two 
strong fortifications and a portion of one line of works. During this action 
the officer commanding the regiment, Capt. James H. Wheaton, was killed. 

On the 6th of December, the regiment, in command of Major George 
Lockley, started on a raid along the Weldon railroad. After crossing the 
Nottaway river the regiment assisted in destroying several miles of that 
railroad. Proceeding as far as Hicksford it returned, arriving at its former 
encampment on the 12th. Remaining there until February 5th, 1865, it 
broke camp and moved to the left of the line and participated in the en- 
gagement on the 6th at Hatcher's Run, losing three killed and three taken 
by the enemy. It remained in camp near that place until the 29th of 
March. On the 25th of March the regiment was engaged in an attack on 
the enemy's right at Hatcher's Run, having several wounded. On the 
morning of the 29th it broke camp and engaged the enemy the same day 
on the White Oak road, and also on April 1st at Five Forks, at Amelia 
Court-house on the 5th, at High Bridge on the 6th, and at Appomattox 
Court-house on the 9th. 

Captain Lewis C. Randell was killed in action at Laurel Hill, May 10th, 
1864. 

Lieut. AVm. S. Woodruff died June 28th, 1864, of wounds received in 
action on the 27th of that month. 

Following is the report of Gen. Wilcox, dated at Detroit September 3d, 
1862, and addressed to the Adjutant-General of the army at Washington: 

" My brigade, the 2d of lieintzelman's division, marcliing in rear of 
Franklin's brigade, arrived at the Sudley Ford at about half-past 12 P. M. 
July 21, 1862. The brigade now consLsted of the 1st Michigan, 11th New 



THE FIRST INFANTRY. 315 

York, (Fire Zouaves,) 38th New York, and Arnold's battery. The 4th 
Michigan had been left ut Fairfax Station and Fairfax Court-house by the 
order of Gen. McDowell. Halting for rest and water, I obeyed the gene- 
ral's orders to post Arnold's battery on a hill commanding the ford, with 
the 1st Michigan for support, and at 1 o'clock pushed forward with my two 
remaining regiments up the Sudley and Breutville road. We marched 
about two miles and came up on the right of what I su])i)ose to have been 
Franklin's line, near the junction of the Warrenton an^l Sudley roads. The 
troops on our left were engaged in a desultory fire with the enemy, posted 
in the thicket and ravine across the Warrenton road, not far from the Hen- 
ry House. The 28th New York was quickly formed in order of battle, and 
the Zouaves were hastening into line, when I received an order to detach a 
regiment for the support of Kicketts' battery, (of Franklin's brigade,) posted 
on a hill a quarter of a mile to our right and front, near Dogan House. I 
led up the Zouaves for this important service, leaving the 38th under its 
gallant and experienced Col. Hobart Ward. Ricketts was soon ordered to 
take a new position near the Henry House. The Zouaves followed in sup- 
port, and finally formed line on the right flank of the battery, with two 
companies in reserve. 

" Up to this time the enemy had fallen back, but now he formed the re- 
mains of his brigades engaged with Hunter in the morning, viz: Bee's, Bar- 
tow's, and Evans', in a new line, appuyed upon Jackson's brigade of fresh 
troops, making altogether 6,500 infantry, 13 pieces of artillery, and Stuart's 
cavalry, according to Gen. Beauregard's report. This force was posted iu 
the belt of woods which skirted the plateau southwardly and lying in the 
angle formed in that direction between the Warrenton and Sudley roads, 
about a mile from the Warrenton road, and with its left resting on the 
Brentsville and Sudley roads. Ricketts' battery had crossed the Sudley 
road from its post near Dogau's House, aud was within musket range of the 
woods which stretched from that road around from his right towards his front, 
and forming a pocket which almost enveloped the battery with its support. 

" The enemy were first discovered by Col. Heintzelman lining the woods 
iu our front. He ordered up the Zouaves, commanded by Col. Farnham. 
The ground was slightly rising before us, and the enemy opened a heavy 
but not destructive fire as we reached the crest. The Zouaves returned the 
fire, but immediately fell back, bewildered and broken. Stuart's cavalry 
charged upon them from the woods on the right, but were scattered by a 
fire from the two reserve companies, with a loss (as ascertained from the 
Southern papers) of twenty-nine killed and wounded. 

" Meantime Ricketts' cannoneers were being picked oflT. With Colonel 
Heintzelman's approval and a promise of reinforcements, I collected some 
one hundred Zouaves, and, with Capt. Douney and others of their officers, 
made a dash into the woods on our right and killed, wounded, and captured 
about thirty of the enemy. Returning in a few minutes, I found the field 
cleared of both friend and foe except the killed and wounded. 

" The horses, men, and two officers of Ricketts' battery lay stretched upon 
the ground, but the enemy had not yet seized it. 

" Recrossing the Sudley road, I met the 1st Michigan, Jlajor Bidwell com- 
manding, and marching back with this regiment wo found the enemy now 
drawn up in a thin line across the field aud in possession of the battery ; 
advancing to the fence on the roadside the 1st Michigan opened fire, the 
right wing fell back to reload, owing to a blundering order, but the left 
stood firm, expelled the enemy and retook the battery. The troops here 
opposed to us I believe to have been the 7th Georgia. 



316 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

"Colonel Heintzelraan now came up and ordered us promptly forward, and 
with the promise of another regiment it was my design to turn the enemy's 
left. The left wing of the 1st Michigan recrossed the field, struck into the 
woods beyond the Zouaves, succeeded in destroying and capturing a small 
number of the enemy and pushing back his extreme left out of that part or 
point of the woods adjacent to the Sudley road. 

"Meantime the right wing of the 1st Michigan reformed and advanced in 
good order. I met it and we pushed on toward the next point of woods. 
From this point I found the enemy's left discovered us by our fire and we 
became engaged with their rear rank, their front being occupied by the ad- 
vancing troops of Franklin's or Sherman's brigade. The officers and men 
of the 1st Michigan stood up bravely at this critical moment, holding on 
anxiously for i-einforcements. But from all I can learn, the 38th, which 
was ordered up to me, were directed to the left of the Henry House, (in- 
stead of to the right and along the Sudley road,) came in contact with the 
enemy's centre and never reached me. 

" It was now nearly four o'clock. General Beauregard had been gather- 
ing new reinforcements; General Kirby Smith had joined him with a por- 
tion of Johnston's army. Our scattered troops were contending in fractions 
against the enemy's army in position and massed on the plateau, with his 
artillery sweeping every approach. Gen. Johnston was bringing fresh 
troops to turn our right. The 28th Virginia attacked my own handful 
from the rear in the woods, and I had the ill fortune to be wounded and a 
fevv moments afterward captured. But I was spared witnessing the disaster 
which further pursued our arms. 

" In this report I have only endeavored to supply partly the information 
that was not known or f )uud in any other report in consequence of my cap- 
ture. Permit me to add farther, that the 38th New York was distinguished 
for its steadiness in ranks, and for gallantly repelling a charge made upon 
it by the 'New Orleans Tigers.' The Zouaves, though broken as a regi- 
ment, did good service under my own eyes in the woods, and detachments 
of them joined various other regiments in the fight. The 1st Michigan de- 
serves the credit of advancing farther into the enemy's lines than any other 
of our troops, as their dead bodies proved after the battle. I only regret 
that from the fact of my separation from Arnold's battery, I cannot add 
any testimony of my own to the well known gallantry with which he and 
his command conducted themselves." 

THE SECOND INFANTRY. 

The 2d infantry, under command of Col. J. B. Richardson, by whom it 
had been organized, with much promptness followed tlie 1st regiment to the 
war in Virginia, and was in time to be present in the first engagement, being 
in the brigade of Richardson, which opened fire upon the rebels at Black- 
burn's Ford, on the 18Lh of July, 18G1, and which covered the retreat of 
the army from Bull Run on the 21st following. 

The regiment, under command of Col. O. M. Poe, participated in all of 
4 the engagements on the Peninsula, first meeting the enemy on that cam- 
paign at Williamsburg, on May 5, 1862, where it lost 17 killed, 38 wounded, 
and 4 missing; at Fair Oaks, on the 27th ; at Charles City Cross-roads, on 
June 30th, and at Malvern Hill July 1st. At Fair Oaks it lost 10 killed 
and 47 wounded, while its bravery was so marked as to receive the follow- 
ing notice in the i)ublished liistory of the tiihe: 

" Meantime, Heiutzelmau had sent forward Kearney to recover Casey's 



THE SECOND INFANTRY. 317 

lost ground, and a desperate fight was going on at the extreme left. The 
enemy had been successfully held in front of Couch's old entrenched camp, 
until Kearney's division arrived, when he staid the torrent of battle. One 
after another his gallant regiments pushed forward, and ])ressed back the 
fiery rebels with more daring than their own. Here the 55th New York 
won new laurels, and Poe's 2d Michigan was bathed in blood. Five hun- 
dred of them charged across the open field against ten times their number, 
and stopped them in mid career, losing 17 brave fellows in that one des- 
perate essay." 

Immediately following the battles on the Peninsula it entered on the 
campaign of General Pope, and was engaged with the enemy at Pull Pun 
August 28th, 29th, and oOth, and at Chantilly on the 1st of September. 

On the 12th of December following, the regiment, then commanded by 
Lieutenant-Colonel Louis Dillmau, participated in the engagement at Fred- 
ericksburg with slight loss. 

The 2d was transferred early in 18G3 to another field of operations witli 
the 9th corps, and served with distinction on the Grant campaign in IMissis- 
sippi, terminating with the fall of AHcksburg and the defeat and route of 
Johnston at Jackson. It was also in the campaign of Purnside in J*]ast 
Tennessee, and was actively engaged in the defence of Knoxville against 
the attacks of Longstreet, and in the various battles with his forces in that 
vicinity. Although the survivors of this noble regiment can look back 
upon their campaigns in Virginia and recount with much justifiable pride 
their numerous battles, yet, Jacks(m and Knoxville will ever hold promi- 
nent j)laccs in their memories, as engagements in which the regiment spe- 
cially distinguished itself and sustained heavy loss. 

Immediately following the surrender of Vicksburg, General Sherman with 
his army, a part of which Avas the 9th corps, moved in pursuit of General 
Johnston, who was then in the vicinity of Jackson, and reached there on 
the 10th of July. The 2d regiment belonged to the 2d brigade, 1st divi- 
sion, and on the 11th of July became engaged with the enemy, making one 
of tlie most daring and gallant charges of the war. Col. Humphrey, com- 
manding the regiment, in his I'cport thus details its movements on that occa- 
sion : 

"At 5 A. M. I was ordered by C(j1. Leasure, commanding the brigade, to 
deploy my regiment as skirmishers on the left of the skirmish line of the 
1st brigade — to keep my connection with it perfect — to be guided in the 
movements of my line strictly by those of the regiment on my right, and to 
advance until I drew the fire of the enemy's artillery. 

" I at once deployed my regiment as directed, and moved forward, meet- 
ing with only slight opposition from the enemy, until about G o'clock, when 
he opened a brisk fire along my w'hole line. We had come up to the enemy 
strongly posted in front of my right on a deep water course, and of my left 
in a heavy woods. For an hour a brisk skirmish was kept up. The enemy 
made a determined resistance, but was gradually forced back toward his 
support. 

"At 7 A. M. the order came down the line from the right to 'forward! 
double-quick !' The men at once advanced with a cheer, drove in the ene- W 
my's skirmishers through their camps, and into their reserves, strongly posted 
in a deep ravine, charged and broke the reserve, and drove it up out of the 
ravine into its main support, drawn up in line of battle on the top of the 
south bank of the ravine, charged under a hot fire of musketry and artil- 
lery up the steep bank against the main body, 6ro^'e this line, and drove the 
enemy within his works. 



318 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

"We waited now for our support to come up, but on sending for it were 
surprised to find ive had none. The regiment on my right, for some reason 
unknown to me, advanced but a short distance, then fell back to the line 
left by it a few moments before. By some mistake the three companies (C, 
F, and H) on the left did not advance with the rest of the regiment in this 
charge, which was made with about one hundred and seventy men. Fifty 
of these, almost one-third, had fallen. The enemy was being reinforced, 
and we were entirely without support, with no connection on the right and 
no troops on our left. Thus situated, to hold for any length of time the 
ground we had so dearly won would be impossible. I therefore put my men 
under cover of the bank of the ravine, through which we had advanced, 
within twenty yards of the enemy's works, and held the position until the 
wounded were carried to the rear, and then folloiving the movement of the 
regiment on my right, fell back to the line from which we had advanced 
an hour before." 

In this charge the regiment had 9 killed, 39 wounded, among whom were 
Lieutenants Sheldon, Stevenson, and Montague, and 8 taken as prisoners. 

The 2d was also specially distinguished on several occasions during the 
siege of Knoxville by Longstreet in 1863, and particularly so on the 24th 
of November, when under command of Major Cornelius Byington (Colonel 
Humphrey being in command of the brigade) it so gallantly charged a 
strong force of rebels protected by entrenchments and a house which they 
occupied, driving them from their position and leveling the house and works 
to the ground. In the charge the regiment lost in killed and wounded, out 
of 161 officers and men engaged, 86. Among the killed were Lieutenants 
William Noble (adjutant) and Charles R. Galpin, and Major Byington and 
Lieutenant Frank Zoellener mortally wounded. This charge is handed 
down in the history of the day as among the most brilliant of the Avar. 

Returning with its corps to the Army of the Potomac, on the 5th of May, 
1864, it crossed the Rapidan, taking part with that army in the great cam- 
paign which had just commenced, sharing in its sufferings, its privations, 
and its glory. On ^lay 6th, in command of Colonel W. Humphrey, it 
participated in the battle of the Wilderness, losing 6 killed and 32 wounded 
and missing. On the 10th, 11th, and Tith it was in the battle at Spottsyl- 
vania Court-house, where it lost 2 killed and 9 wounded ; among the killed 
was Captain James Farrand ; and on the 3d of June, at the battle of 
Bcthcsda Church, where its loss was 2 killed and 36 wounded. From 
Bethesda Church the regiment marched to Cold Harbor. Juno r2th it 
crossed the Chicahominy river, and on the morning of the 14th, and during 
the night of the 15th, crossed to the south side of the James river. It 
participated in the engagement before Petersburg on the 17th and 18th of 
June, losing on the 17th 8 killed, including Captain James Bradley, 74 
wounded, and 4 missing ; on the 18th, 14 killed, 69 wounded, and 2 
missing. During the attack which followed the springing of the mine on 
the 30th of July, the regiment lost 6 killed, 14 wounded, and 37 missing, 
Captain John S. Young and Lieutenant John G. Busch being among the 
killed. Withdrawing from in front of Petersburg, it marched with its 
corps to the Weldcm railroad, and in the action of the 19th of August on 
this road the regiment lost 1 killed, 2 wounded, and 2 missing. Partici- 
pating in the movement on the right flank of the rebel army, on the 30th 
of September, in the engagement near Poplar Spring Church, it lost 7 in 
wounded and 12 missing. The regiment remained in camp from the 30th 
of September to October 27th, near "Peeble's House." On the latter date, 
in the advance on the " Boydton Plank Road," it lost 7 wounded and 7 



THE SECOND INFANTRY. 319 

missing. On the 28th it returned to its camping ground near Peeble's 
House, where it remained on the 31st of October tbUowing. On the 25th 
of March, 1865, the regiment participated in the affair at Fort Steadraan, 
sustaining a heavy loss, and on the od of April was engaged in the capture 
of Petersburg. 

The correspondent of the New York Tribune, in writing regarding the 
stampede from Bull Run, says : 

"I was told that a few regiments, beside the three faithful ones of 
Blenker's brigade, had come in in fair order ; and that they were the 2d 
and 8d Michigan and the Massachusetts 1st, of Kichardson's brigade. I 
should be glad if it were so." 

It is to be hoped that the correspondent lived long enough to be made 
glad, on being fully satisfied of the fact that he had been correctly in- 
formed of that well-established truth regarding the conduct of Kichard- 
son's brigade referred to, and which was so well understood and made so 
generally known immediately following the battle, by the issue of a general 
order by McDowell, in which it was stated that Richardson's brigade were 
the last troops to leave the field. 

Tlie following is the official order relative to the part taken at Williams- 
burg by Berry's brigade, composed of the 2d, 3d, and 5th Michigan : 

Headquarters 3d Brigade, Kearney's Division, 

On Williamsburg .Battle-field, May 8, 1862. 
Special Orders: 

The commander of the brigade takes great pleasure in making this 
official communication to his command : That they, by heroic fortitude, on 
Monday last, by making a forced march througli mud and rain, each 
vying with the other to see who could most cheerfully stand the hardships 
the time called for, making thereby a march that others shrank from, 
coming into a fight at double-quick, made doubtful to our side by the over- 
whelming mass of the enemy poured upon our centre ; by a rapid deploy 
and quick formation, and by coolness, precision, and energy, beat back the 
enemy, recapturing our lost position and artillery, and also by a heroic 
charge, took a stronghold of the enemy, and thereby dislodged him and 
drove him on the plain below his well-chosen position, have done them- 
selves great honor, have honored the States of INIichigan and New York, 
and have won a name in history that the most ambitious might be proud of. 

Our loss of brave comrades has indeed been large. We mourn the de- 
parted. "Green be the turf above them." They have a place in our 
heart's memory, and in the history of our common country. 

Soldiers! you have won by your bravery the hearts of all your com- 
manders — brigade, division, corps, and even those higher in command. 

Soldiers, I thank you; my superiors thank you; your country thanks 
you, and will remember you in history. 

Our labors are not yet over ; the insolent rebels that have endeavored 
to destroy, and have laid to ruin and waste portions of the best Govern- 
ment and the finest land of earth, are still in force, and to be conquered in 
our fights. I have pledged you, men of the 3d brigade, in all future trials. 
I know my men ; they are not pledged in vain. 

Commanders of regiments will have this order read at the head of their 
respective regiments this afternoon. 

R. G. BERRY, 
Brigadier-General, Commanding 3d Brigade. 

Official : Edwin M. Smith, A. A. A. G. 



320 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Extracts from correspondence of New York Tribune in relation to the 
battle of Williamsburg: 

"The 2d Michigan took into action only sixty men, the rest being left 
behind, exhausted with the quick march through the mud and rain. Yet 
they lost one out of every five engaged. The regiment was in the hottest 
of the fight. By the confessions of prisoners, 800 of Berry's men (mostly 
Michigan) drove back at the point of the bayonet 1,G00 rebels. 

" There were four companies of the 2d JMiehigan heavily engaged at Wil- 
liamsburg, two in command of Captain William Humphrey and two com- 
manded by Captain W. J. Handy. The other companies of the regiment 
were partially engaged. The regiment lost in the action 17 killed, 38 
wounded, and 4 missing. 

"In the rifle-pits in front of the 5th Michigan, sixty-three dead rebels 
were found, every one of them killed hy the bayonet. 

" On June 30th the enemy had advanced about noon. The Union troops 
had fallen back about two miles and taken a position near Charles City 
Ci-oss-roads or White Oak Swamp. The battle commenced about 1 o'clock. 
The 2d, in command of Major Dillman,Avas engaged from half-past 4 P.M. 
until an hour after dark, being under a continuous fire of musketry during 
the whole of that time, but haviug the cover of the woods and of a tempo- 
rary breastwork of logs, rails, and sods hastily thrown together, the loss of 
the regiment was comparatively light. The enemy charged three times in 
heavy columns on the position held by the division to which the 2d belong- 
ed. They advanced under a heavy fire from a long line of infantry and six 
pieces of artillery, and were most gallantly repulsed each time, being com- 
pelled to retire, under a heavy and murderous fire, under cover of the woods 
on the opposite side of the field, leaving the open space between the two 
Imes literally piled with the dead and wounded. 

" Down to the time our troops fell back in the night the enemy were busy, 
close up to our line, carrying away the dead and wounded. The wounded 
were continually calling out the number of their regiments and the States 
from whence they came, in order that they might be found by their friends. 
In this way it was ascertained that at least twenty-one regiments had been 
engaged with Kearney's division during the afternoon. 

" On July 1st, at 2 A. M., the pickets were ordered in, and the retreat 
again commenced. At 5 A. M. the regiment reached Maxwell's Landing, 
on the James river, and was soon after marched, with its brigade, to the 
right and front of the line then being f )rmed to meet a threatened attack 
of the enemy. On reaching the position indicated the brigade was i)laced 
in position to support our batteries, then playing with terrible cfl'ect on the 
enemy's advancing columns or replying to the fierce fire kept up from his 
batteries. The 2d remained in this position until 12 M., when it was drawn 
back under shelter of Malvern Hill. During the whole of tlyit time the 
shot and shell from the enemy's guns came sweeping through the Union 
ranks dealing out death in every direction. At midnight the regiment again 
commenced the march down the river, and reached the encampment near 
Harrison's Landing next morning at about 9 A. M. 

" On the retreat to Harrison's Landing, and in the various engagements 
occurring on the march, the gallant conduct of Sergeants Sheldon, company 
C, Tulloch, company ^, JNIcGee, company I, Higgins and Delano, compa- 
ny E; Corporals Sannard, ccmipany E, Euller, company D, and Thurlby, 
company B; Privates Henry H. Harrington, cimipany B, and Philander 
Walworth, company D, are specially noticed in the report of the command- 
ing officer of the regiment. lu the battles of Charles City Cross-roads and 



THE SECOND INFANTRY. 321 

Malvern Hill Philander Walworth, of company D, who had been wounded 
on a scout on the 19th June, with his leg swollen and stiff, refused to leave 
the ranks, and was constantly in his place gallantly doing his duty." 

The regiment is mentioned in connection with the operations at Knoxville 
on November 24th, 18G3, in the "Rebellion Ilecord " as follows: 

" November 24th. — Skirmishing commenced early and briskly on our left 
front this morning. The rebels had gained a hill and thrown up rifle-pits 
near the round house during the night. The 48th Pennsylvania and 21st 
Massachusetts, during the morning, charged the pits and driving the rebels 
out at the point of the bayonet, covered the trenches, and returned to their 
own Vv'ith a loss of two killed and four wounded. On our left, for some 
hours, the fire of the sharpshooters was quite hot from a house above and 
the rebel trenches. The 2(1 JNIichigau charged there also in the most gallant 
manner and drove the rebels back, a fierce and bloody engagement ensued 
with great loss on both sides, our boys remaining in jjossessiou of the works, 
which tliey obliterated and fell back." 

The regiment also lost heavily at the charge following the springing of 
the mine July 30th. It belonged to Wilcox's division. In the Annual 
Cyclopaedia is the following notice of its division and corps: 

* * * " At length the 9th corps was reformed after a fatal delay, and 
with Gen. Potter's division on the right, Lediie's in the centre, and Wil- 
cox's on the left, under cover of the fire of two guns, began the charge. At 
every step the fire of the enemy in front, and on each flank concentrated 
with greater fury upon them, and ploughed their ranks with slaughter. 
The charge was checked on the side of the crest, there was a halt, and 
finally, the whole line wavering under terrible odds, recoiled to the fort." 

Lieut. Edward A. Sherman was wounded before Petersburg June 18th, 
18G4, and died of his wounds August 18th following. 

Lieut. Nelson Fletcher was killed in action near Ox Ford, North Anna 
river. May 24th, 1864. 

Lieut. George S. Williams, wounded at Cold Harbor June ud, 18G4, died 
of his wounds June 15th following. 

In General Wilcox's rcptjrt of the attack made by the rebels upon Fort 
Steadman on our line of works before Petersburg, INIarch 25th, he says of 
that aftair, and regarding the defence of Battery No. 9, also in the line of 
the Union works, and near the fort mentioned : 

"At a quarter past 4 o'clock, on the morning of the 25th March, 1865, 
the enemy attacked the entrenchments held by the 3d brigade of this divi- 
sion, (1st and 9th corps.) The brigade picket officer. Captain Burch, 3d 
Maryland, reports that he visited the picket line at 4 o'clock of that morn- 
ing, and saw that the men were on the alert. After visiting the line he re- 
turned to his headquarters in front of Fort Steadman and Battery No. 11. 
He states that in a few minutes after his return a man on the lookout gave 
notice that the enemy were approaching ; at the same time the men on the 
post fired their pieces. One column moved towards the right of Battery 
No. 10 ; a small column moved towards a point between Fort Steadman and 
Battery No. 11 ; a third column moved direct towards Steadman. These 
columns were preceded by a strong storming party, which broke through 
the pickets, clubbing their muskets, and made openings in the abatis. The 
trench guards made sufficient resistance to arouse the garrison of the en- 
closed works in the immediate neighborhood ; but the column which struck 
to the right of Battery No. 10 quickly succeeded in breaking through and 
effecting an entrance to that battery, which is entirely open in the rear. 
This success gave them at once a great advantage over Fort Steadman, as 
U 



322 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

the ground just in rear of Battery No. 10 is on a level with the parapet of 
the fort. 

" The fort had also a comparatively small line of infantry parapet, par- 
ticularly was this the case in front, which was cut up with embrasures for 
artillery. The garrison of the fort consisted of a detachment of the 14th 
New York heavy artillery, under Major Randall, and made quite a spirited 
resistance ; but were finally overpowered, and most of them captured. 

" The commanding officer of the brigade. Brevet Brigadier-General A. B, 
McLaughlin, had reached Battery No. 11 from his headquarters before this, 
and given some directions about the disposition of the troops on the left 
flank. 

"The guns and even the mortars in both Steadman and Battery No. 11 
were used against the enemy. Detachments of the 1st Connecticut heavy 
artillery at the mortars behaved very handsomely. General McLaughlin 
was captured near the gorge of the fort, but whether after the enemy had 
got in, or while they were attacking is unknown. Captain Swords, ordnance 
officer on my staff and division staff-officer of the day, also reached Fort 
Steadman from these lieadquarters before it was fully in the enemy's pos- 
session, and was captured at the fort. 

" The right column, with the aid of troops from Steadman, now succeeded 
in gaining Battery No. 11. Their left column turned down the works to 
their left towards Battery No. 9, taking the 57th Massachusetts in the 
trenches in flank and rear, capturing a part of them. The remainder re- 
tired to the rear, reassembled, and afterwards did good work as skirmishers 
with General Hartranft's troops. The 2d Michigan fought the enemy on 
this flank, from their bomb-proofs and traverses, in the most spirited man- 
ner, until they were drawn in by order of tlieir brigade commander (Brevet 
Colonel Ralph Ely) to Battery No. 9, Avhich, though small, is an enclosed 
work. 

" In pursuance of my orders, Colonel Ely deployed perpendicular to and 
to the rear of his entrenchments, a portion of the 1st IMichigau sharp-shooters 
as skirmishers promptly taking them from the right of our line for this pur- 
pose. I also directed him to press the enemy on his left as much as possi- 
ble. Finding themselves opposed in this direction, the enemy halted for 
more of their troops to come up. 

"The enemy's skirmishers now came down the hill directly to the rear of 
Steadman, and moved towards my headquarters, tlie Friend House, the 
Dunn House battery, and in the direction of Meade's Station, and this for 
a time rendered my communication witli the 3d brigade long and circuitous. 
Meantime, I had oi'dcrcd out the 17th Michigan, acting as an engineer 
regiment attached to my headquarters, and sent word to tlic commanding 
ofticers of the 200tli and 209th Pennsylvania, encamped between Meade's 
Station and Dunn House battery, to move respectively, one to the Friend 
House, and the other in front of the Dunn House battery. Tliese regiments 
promptly appeared. Brigadier-General Hartranft, commanding the 3d 
division, now came up in person, and I requested him to move his available 
force direct upon the fort. He promptly and gallantly took command of 
the two regiments already out, without waiting for the rest of his command. 
I ordered the 17th Michigan to deploy as skirmishers on his right. This 
regiment, with only one hundred men in its ranks, under command of Major 
Mathews, moved forward at the same time with General Hartranft's line, 
capturing most of the enemy's skirmishers in their front, about twenty-five 
in number, and inclining to the right, connected with the skirmishers of 
Ely's brigade. While Hartranft was operating in rear of Steadman the 



THE THIRD INFANTRY. 323 

enemy's force, which had moved towards Battery No. 9 and halted, was 
reinforced by Ransom's brigade, and opened an attack uj)on that battery. 
This attack was handsomely repulsed by my skirmishers and troops of tlic 
2d brigade in Battery No. 9, assisted by artillery, particularly one piece 
of Romcr's battery, under Major Romer himself The enemy attempted to 
retreat back to their own entrenchments when they were charged by de- 
tachments of the 2d Michigan, who captured some prisoners. Troops of 
the 20th and 2(1 Michigan also threw themselves into the picket line of the 
2d brigade, and poured such a fire on the flank of the enemy that over 300 
threw down their arms and surrendered themselves on the spot." 

After several other sharp engagements the enemy were repulsed on both 
flanks by troops of Wilcox's division, and much demoralized by the artil- 
lery fire, broke in small detachments from Steadnum back to their own 
lines, pursued by the Union trooj)s. The 17th Michigan, on the exti-eme 
right of the division, dashed forward and gained the trenches held by the 
enemy, taking many prisoners. 

The 2d brigade was commanded by Col. Ralph Ely, 8th Michigan, in 
which were the 1st Michigan sharp-shooters, 2d and 20th Michigan infantry. 

The 17th INIichigau was ou detail at division headquarters as engineer 
regiment. 

THE THIRD INFANTRY. 

The od infantry, raised at Grand Rapids, was patriotic and prompt, and 
in command of Colonel Daniel McConnell, who had organized the regi- 
ment, took the field soon after the 2d regiment, in time to participate with 
the brigade (Richardson's) in the engagement with the rebels at Black- 
burn's Ford. It afterwards belonged to Berry's celebrated brigade, of 
Kearney's division, and passed through the battles of the disastrous Penin- 
sula campaign. It fought at Williamsburg, May 5th ; at Fair Oaks, i\Iay 
30th ; at Glendalale, or Charles City Cross-roads, June 30th ; at Malvern 
Hill, July 1st; being particularly distinguished at Fair Oaks, while in com- 
mand of Colonel S. G. Champlin, where its losses were 40 killed, 124 
wounded, and 15 missing. Among the wounded was Colonel Champlin, and 
among the killed Captain Samuel A. Judd. 

Lieutenant-Colonel A. A. Stevens, commanding the regiment after Col- 
onel Chani])lin was wounded, makes mention in his report of the part taken 
l)y the .")(1 in this eugagi'ment as fjllows: 

"At about 2 o'clock P. M., an order was received to take our position in 
rear of the redoubt on our right, which was immediately complied with. 
We remained in this position but a short time, when we took up the line of 
march across the fields and parallel with the Williamsburg road, hastening 
as rapidly as possible towards the front, where our troops had for some 
time previously been actively engaged. The distance being about one 
mile and a half from the redoubt to the scene of action, was soon passed 
over, when Colonel Champlin received orders to lead his regiment at once 
into action, deploying at the same time in line of battle upon the left of 
the road, our right resting upon an abatis, while the left was thrown for- 
ward at a double-quick into a thicket of pines. 

" The engagement now became general, and it was with the greatest diffi- 
culty that our corps of sharp-shooters, under command of Captain Judd, 
could penetrate this mass of fallen timber and dislodge the enemy from 
their strong position; but the steady and cool behavior of our men, and 
with the telling effect of the deadly aim of their rifles, soon compelled 



324 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURIXCr THE REBELLION. 

them to fall back, while our regiment pressed forward, charging through 
the fallen timl)er and driving the enemy beyond the fence in rear, of the 
camp of General Palmer's brigade, some eighty rods distant, when they 
again formed and made another stand. It was at this time that the brave 
Colonel Champlin received a severe wound, which prevented him from 
taking further part in the action. • 

" I also beg leave to call your attention to the gallant Captain Judd, who 
fell Avhile bravely leading our sharp-shooters in tlie early part of the action. 
He was one of the 'bravest of the brave,' and his loss will be deeply re- 
gretted by the regiment and all who knew him." 

Prince De Joinville, having watched the^ determined and persistent fight- 
ing of the Michigan troops at Fair Oaks, says in his able report of the 
operations of McClellan's army on the Peninsula of Berry's brigade: 

" Meanwhile Heintzclman rushes to the rescue with his two divisions. 
As at Williamsburg, Kearney arrives in good time to re-establish the fight. 
Berry's brigade of this division, composed of Michigan regiments, {2d, 8d, 
and 5th infantry,) and an Irish battalion, advanced firm as a wall into the 
midst of the disordered mass which wanders over the battle-field, and does 
more by its example than the most powerful reinforcements. About aniile 
of grtmnd has been lost, fifteen pieces of cannon, tlie camp of the division 
of the advanced guard, that of Gen. Casey, but now we hold our own." 

The 3d was in the engagement at Groveton (or Bull Eun) August 29th, 
losing twenty killed and a large number missing, and at Chantilly on Sep- 
tember 1st. 

This regiment, in command of Col. Ijyron M. Pierce, on the 1st of No- 
vember, left Edward's Ferry, Maryland, and, marching by Warrenton, en- 
camped at Falmouth November 2od. Crossing the Rappaliaunock on the 
loth of December, it was under fire three days at the first battle of Fred- 
ericksburg, sustaining a loss of nine in Avounded. 

The regiment was also specially engaged at Chancellorsville, being in the 
3d brigade, 1st division, (Birney's,) od corps, (Sickles',) one of the divisions 
which formed part of the troops composing the recouuoissance in force made 
by Gen. Sickles to ascertain the position of StoncAvall Jackson, Avho was 
threatening an attack on the extreme right of our army. In this movement 
Gen. Sickles became cut off from his coinmunications, which were ailer- 
wards regained ])y a desperate night attack. Colonel B. B. Pierce, then 
commanding the regiment, in his report mentions the afiair as follows : 

" A[)ril 28, 1863, we broke camp and once more moved towards the Rap- 
pahannock, crossed it at United States Ford May 1st, and moved up near 
the Chancellorsville House and went into position, supporting the first line 
of battle. On the 2d we were moved to the front and drove the enemy fair 
miles, but soon f)und that he had turned the right flank of the 11th corps 
and that we were nearly cut off, but fell back to near our position of the 
morning before, and there charged the Avoods at 10 P. SI. and opened com- 
munication Avith the main army. At daylight of the 3d Ave Avero fired into 
by the enemy, and after a long and severe struggle were forced back one 
mile to a new position, Avhich Ave held until the morning of the 6th, Avhen 
AVe recrossed the river and occupied our old camps, our Avhole loss in this 
movement Avas sixty-three killed, Avounded, and missing." 

The attack on the morning of the 3d Avas most desperate ; the infiintry 
of the enemy Avere adA^anced in overwhelming numbers fi)r the purpose of 
crushing the Federal line, but Avere checked by the fi)rces of Sickles and 
Slocum. The 3d lost in this hard-fought battle sixty-three in killed, wound- 
ed, and missing. Among the killed Avas Capt. Joseph Mason. 



THE THIRD INFANTRY. 325 

The regiment was engaged at Gettysburg July 2(1, 3cl, and 4tli, and sus- 
tained its share of the desperatQ rebel attack upon the 3d corj)s near "IJouud 
Top." Its losses in the three days were forty-one killed, wounded, and 
missing. 

On the 7th of November, 18G3, the 3d, in command of Lieut. Col. M. B. 
Houghton and then serving in the 2d brigade, 3d division, 2d corps, moved 
forward with the Army of the Potomac to Kelly's Ford, on the Itappahan- 
nock, and thence marched to Brandy Station, on the Orange and Alexan- 
dria railroad, where it went into camp. On the 26th the regiment took part 
in the JNline Kun campaign, engaging the enemy on the 27th at Locust 
(jirove and on the 30th at ISline Kun. Having fallen back with the army, 
it again arrived at its camp at Brandy Station on the 2d of December, hav- 
ing lost during the movement thirty-one killed, Avounded, and missing. On 
the 23d of December one hundred and eiglity of the regiment re-pnlisted as 
veteran volunteers. Returning to this State, these veterans were given the 
usual furlough of thirty days, at the expiration of which they returned to 
the regiment. Crossing the liapidau at Ely's Ford on the morning of the 
4th of i\Iay, 1804, the regiment advanced and encamped at Chancellors- 
ville. On the three following days the regiment participated in the battles 
of the Wilderness, sustaining a heavy loss, including Capts. Andrew Nick- 
crson and Milton Leonard, killed on the 6th. It was also engaged at Tc^dd's 
Tavern on the 8th. On the 12th, at Spottsylvania, it participated in the 
successful charge of the 2d corps, captuHnga number of prisoners and two 
rebel battle Hags. Prior to this engagement the 3d was consolidated tem- 
porarily with the 5th infantry. The regiment also took part in the engage- 
ment on the North Anna river ; thence it marched to the Pamunkey, which 
it crossed on the 27th and advanced toward (^old Harbor, and took part in 
the fight at that place on June 7th. In addition to the engagements men- 
tioned, the 3d also participated in a number of minor actions and skirmishes. 
Its loss during the month of INIay was 31 killed, 119 wounded, and 2!) miss- 
ing. Ou the 5Jth of June, at Cold Harbor, Va., the regiment, with the ex- 
ce[)tion of the re-enlisted men and such as had joined since the date of origi- 
nal organization and certain designated officers, were ordered to proceed to 
this State for the purpose of being discharged. The remaining officers and 
men were formed into a battalion of four companies and attached to the 5th 
Michigan infantry. The order consolidating these regiments was confirmed 
by si)ecial orders of the AVar Dei)artmeut issued on tlie 13th of June, 1864. 
On the 20th day of June the organization, whicli had been one of the first 
in the field, was formally mustered out of the Uiiited States service. 

The career of this regiment was brilliant throughout the war, and, while 
it maintained its reputation for bravery and effective service in all other 
engagements, Fair Oaks, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg stand out jiromi- 
nently in its glorious record. 

The regiment having been mustered out of service on the 20th of June, 
orders were issued from the Adjutant-Generars office of the State to reor- 
ganize the regiment. Col. M. B. Houghton, of the old regiment, was au- 
thorized to proceed with this duty, and the camp Avas fixed at Grand Rapids. 
The regiment left for the field in Tennessee ou the 20th October following, 
jM-oceeding to Nashville, and from thence to Decatur, Alabama. On the 
23d of November, while stationed there, its advance picket on the INIoulton 
and Courtlaml road was driven in, when five companies moved out and 
encountered a small force of the enemy, di-iving it back without loss. On 
tiie 2-')th the regiment moved towards ]\IurlVeesboro', Tennessee, arriving 
there on the 27tli, and was ordered to duty at Fort Rosecrans. "While Gen. 



326 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Milroy was engaged at the Cedars, with the principal part of Forrest's com- 
mand, Faulkner's brigade of mounted infantry, on the 7th of December, 
made a dash on the picket line at Murfreesboro', driving in the pickets, and 
gaining possession of the town, when four companies of the reofiment, toge- 
ther with four companies of the 181st Ohio, with a section of artfilery, after 
a spirited engagement of an hour, repulsed the enemy, re-establishing the 
picket line, drove him for nearly two miles, when the command was with- 
drawn and returned to the fort. On the 9th, while the regiment was on a 
foraging expedition, it came up with the rear guard of the enemy, consist- 
ing of the 7th and 12th Kentucky mounted infantry, taking five prisoners. 
On the 15th it marched to the relief of a supply train which had been at- 
tacked on the way from Stevenson, Ala., and on approaching the point a 
skirmish took place, wdien the force retired, leaving their dead and wounded 
on the ground. 

Although going into service Jate in the war, with but little opportunity 
offered to make its record, this regiment fully demonstrated its i-eliable fight- 
ing qualities and acquitted itself with credit, maintaining to the fullest ex- 
tent, when occasion offered, the gallant reputation of the old 3d. 

THE FOURTH INFANTRY. 

The 4th infantry went to the field with great dispatch, in command of 
the lamented Colonel Woodbury, who had recruited and organized it at 
Adrian. The regiment was in the first Bull Run engagement, and retired 
from that field in good order, covering the retreat of the Union army from 
that disastrous affair. It went to the Peninsula with General McClellan, 
and was the first regiment to open fire upon the rebels at New Bridge, May 
24, 1862 — the commencement of what are known as the seven days' battles, 
when five companies of the regiment crossed the Chicahominy a short dis- 
tance above New Bridge, wading the stream under a heavy fire. The gal- 
lantry of the regiment was made at the time the subject of a dispatcli to 
the "NVar Department from General JMcClelhui, which mentioned the affair 
as follows: "Three skirmishes to-day. We drove the rebels from JMcchan- 
icsville seven miles from New Bridge. The 4th jMicliigan about finished 
the Louisiana Tigers. Fifty prisoners and fifty killed and wountled." The 
4th, in common with the other Michigan regiments, maintained tlie honor 
of our State, and nobly acquitted itself in all the engagements of the Penin- 
sula campaign, but ])robably in none more so than in the sanguinary con- 
flict at Malvern Hill, where it became conspicuously and specially notice- 
able in resisting the numerous and desperate charges of the rebels on its 
lines, the men fighting until all their cartridges were expended, then using 
those taken from the boxes of their fallen comrades. On that field fell its 
brave commander. Colonel Woodbury, while at the head of his regiment. 
His military career had been as bright as the record of his regiment, and had 
he been spared, his services would have placed him high in rank and fame, 
as he was gifted with all the requisites to render success certain. It also 
lost two other meritorious officers, Cajjtains Du Puy and Pose, while Cap- 
tain Spalding and Ijieutenants Gordon and I'^arle were wounded, and from 
June 2Gth to July 1st, both inclusive, the aggregate loss in the regiment 
was i>o killed, 144 wounded, and 49 missing. In a report made by Cai^taiu 
John F. liandoljjh innnediately following the engagement, he says: 

"The enemy commenced the attack about 2 P. M., and at 4 o'clock the 
action became general. The regiment held its ground against fearful odds 
until its amnmnition was expended, when it fell back, contesting every foot 



THE FOURTH INFANTRY. 327 

of the ground until relieved by the 2d New Jersey. At evening the action 
closed, and we again held our first line. Our loss was heavy in both 
officers and men. It was here Captain Richard Du Puy fell, while gal- 
lantly leading his men. 

" On the following morning our position was again changed, and about 3 
P. M. the enemy appeared in our front in heavy force. We were ordered 
to advance, and in a few moments came within range of the enemy, when 
we ()i)cned a destructive fire. Colonel Woodbury was everywhere i)resent, 
and by his example and courage inspired every one with renewed vigor. 
About half an hour after the action commenced he was mortally wounded, 
the ball penetrating the head just above the right eye. While being borne 
from the field his last words were: 'Good-bye, boys.' Captain A. M. Rose 
was also killed about the same time." 

At tShepherdstown Ford, September 21, it forded the Potomac in face of 
a battery, killed and drove oft' the enemy, and captured the guns. The 
regiment was also in the battles at Fredericksburg, December loth and 
14tli, where its casualties were 9 killed, 41 wounded, and 1 missing. 

On the oOth and 31st of December the regiment was engaged in a recon- 
uoissance to Morrisville, making a inarch of thirty-three miles on the latter 
day. It was engaged in a movement of the 20th of January, 1863, but, 
marching only a few miles, returned to camp near Falmouth, where it re- 
mained until May 1st. ]May 4th it particij)ated in the battle of Chancel- 
lorsville, with a loss in killed, wounded,- and missing of 30. 

Following the regiment to Gettysburg, we find it i)rominently engaged on 
that important and bloody battle-field, bearing a part of the brunt with 
the 5th corps, and sustaining a loss of 26 killed, 66 wounded, and 79 
missing. Among the killed was its noble commander. Colonel H. H. Jef- 
fords, a gallant and patriotic officer, who was killed by a rebel bayonet 
while rescuing the colors of his regiment from traitorous hands, and among 
the Wounded were Ca})tains Frencli, Robinson, and McLean, and Lieu- 
tenants Brown, Vreeland, Barrett, Westfall, and Seage. 

After the death of Colonel Jeffords, Lieutenant-Colonel Lombard as- 
sumed command of the regiment. 

In the battle of the Wilderness, the 4th being in the 2d brigade, 1st 
division, (Griffin's,) of the 5th corps, became heavily engaged with loss. 
Greeley says : 

"At noon General Griffin, whose advance had been driven in, was 
ordered to push f )rward the 1st division of the 5th corps to the riglit and 
left of the turn})ike and feel the enemy. An advance of less than a mile, 
stretching across the turni)ike, brought them in contact with the enemy, 
under Lieutenant-General Ewell, posted on a wooded declivity. A sharp 
engagement ensued for an hour, when the pressure of the enemy could no 
longer be resisted. General Griffin's division was driven back, leaving two 
pieces of artillery in the hands of the enemy." 

In this engagement fell Colonel Lombard and Captain W. II. Loveland, 
the former while gallantly leading his regiment, and the latter while 
bravely doing his duty. The Colonel died next day, and Captain Love- 
land oix the 31st of the same month, both efficient and courageous officers. 

jNIalvern Hill, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness will never be forgotten 
by the survivors of the 4th Michigan. 

On the night of tlie 7th the command moved towards Spottsylvania, ar- 
riving at Laurel Hill on the morning of the (Sth. It here became engaged 
with the euenvy, and again on the 9th. On the 10th it assisted in a charge 
upon and capture of the enemy's ritie pits, losing 20 killed and wounded. 



328 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

On the 11th and 12th the regiment Avas in the advanced lines of the corps, 
and on the loth and 14th was engaged as skirmishers. On the evening of 
the latter date the command moved to the left of the army near Spottsyl- 
vania Court-house, and remaining thei-e until the 19th, it then took part in 
the movement to the North Anna river, which it crossed on the 24th near 
Jericho Mills, the regiment participating in tlie engagement at this place. 
On the night of the 26th the regiment recrossed the North Anna river and 
marched to Hanovertown, crossing the Pamiuikey river on the 28th. On 
the 29th, 30th, and 31st of May, and 1st of June, it was engaged as skir- 
mishers, and on the 3d it participated in the capture of the enemy's line of 
works near Bethesda Church. On the 5th the regiment marched to Bot- 
tom's Bridge, and on the 14th crossed the James river at Wilcox's Land- 
ing, whence it proceeded to the lines in front of Petersburg, where it arrived 
on the 16th. On the next day the regiment was engaged as skirmishers, 
and on the 19th participated in the engagement of that date, losing eight 
killed and wounded. 

The term of the regiment having expired on the 19th of June, 1864, it 
returned to the State on the 26th, and on the 28th the companies were mus- 
tered out of service. A portion of the regiment remained in service on duty 
witli tlie 1st infantry, and served with it until the close of the war, when 
they joined the new organization. 

The regiment was reorganized under orders of July 26, 1864, Col. J. W. 
Hall, late lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, taking command of its camp 
at Adrian. On the 22d of October following it left Adrian, and arrived at 
Decatur, Ala., on the 28th, in time to participate in tlie defence of that town, 
which had been attacked by the rebel army under Hood. In this engage- 
ment it lost five in killed and wounded, establishing a reputation in the field 
worthy of the brave old regiment. 

General Meade at Chancellorsville directed General Griffin to send two 
regiments to hold an important point. The General reported to him that 
he had sent them. General Meade asked, " Can they hold it ?" Griffin 
replied, " General, they are Michigan men." Meade insisting on being 
assured, said emphatically, " Can they hold it?" Griffin quickly and em- 
phatically answered, " General, they can hold it against hell !" They were 
the 4th and 16th Michigan. 

THE FIFTH INFANTRY. 

The 5th infantry, usually designated the " Fighting Fifth," left Detroit 
for Virginia on the 11th of September, 1861, commanded by Colonel Henry 
D. Terry, and first commenced to battle for the Union and freedom at Wil- 
liamsburg, on May 5th fullowing, while serving in Berry's brigade of Kear- 
ney's division. In this engagement the regiment beliaved with great gal- 
lantry, and was eminently efficient; but sustaining a less, in a force of 500, 
of 34 killed and 119 wounded, including among the killed Lieut. James 
Gunning, and among the wounded Lieutenant-Colonel S. E. Beach. On 
May olst it went into the action at Fair Oaks with a force of about 300, 
losing 30 killed, 116 wounded, and 5 missing. Captain L. B. Quackenbush 
and Lieutenant Cliarles 11. Hutch ins being among tlie killed, and Lieut. 
Charles S. Traverse mortally wounded, and died on the 22d July following. 
It was again engaged on the Chicahominy Juno 25th, at Peach Orchard (in 
tlie 29tli, and at Charles City Cross-roads on the 30th, where it lost 51 in 
killed, wounded, and missing. AuKmg the killed was Lieutenant W. T. 
Johnson, and among the wounded Major John D. Fairbanks, commanding 



THE FIFTH INFANTRY. 399 

the regiment, who died of his wound in Washington on the 5th of July fol- 
lowing, regarded as a brave and exeni])lary ofticer. It had also a part in 
the action at Malvern Hill with slight loss; and was employed at Manassas 
August 28tli, 2Uth, and oOth, and at Chantilly on Septendjer 1st. It Avas 
engaged heavily at Fredericksburg on the l.'hh of December following, with 
a strength of only 330, where it lost 10 killed and 73 wounded ; am(mg 
the former being its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel John Gilluly, 
a most gallant and worthy officer. On the 15th it recrosscd the Kappahan- 
nock and encamped near Falmouth. On the 20tli of January, 18()3, the 
regiment took part in the movement of that date, marching to Bank's Ford, 
but without crossing the river, returned to its old camp and went into winter 
quarters. 

The 5th under command of Lieutenant-Colonel E. T. Sherlock, was en- 
gaged at the Cedars, May 2, 1863, and at Chancellor's on the 3d, where it 
formed a part of the division of the 3d corps, which attacked and cut off 
the rear of Stonewall Jackson's forces in his movement threatening the de- 
struction of the right flank of the Union army. It also participated in the 
desperate and dashing midnight charge, which stands Avithout a parallel in 
the war, made for the purpose of opening the communication with the 
Union army which had been lost in the movement. In this charge Stone- 
wall Jackson fell. 

Next morning the 5th together Avith the od Michigan charged and drove 
a brigade of rebels, taking a number of j')risoners, and holding the enemy 
in check until the division formed on a second line. Lieutenant Colonel 
Sherlock fell in the engagement of the 3d, a brave and meritorious officer, 
and the aggregate loss of the regiment in both battles was 7 killed, 43 
wounded, and 31 missing. Major Pulford and Lieutenants Colton and 
Hanlon were among the wounded. 

At Gettysburg, on July 2d, the regiment, then commanded by Col. Pul- 
ford, after marcliing ten miles in three hours during the day, at 4 P. J\I. be- 
came heavily engaged with the enemy in defending Sickles' advanced posi- 
tion, the men using the cartridges of their fallen comrades. Its casualties 
were great, losing in one hour 105. Among the killed Avere Captain Gen- 
erous and Lieutenant Phelan, two valuable officers. In the list of Avounded 
Avere Colonel Pulford, Major Mathews, and Lieutenants Colville, Pierce, 
Kouse, Braden, Hurlbut, and Stevens. 

On the 3d of July it assisted in repelling the final charge on Cemetery 
Hill. During both days its losses Avere 19 killed, 80 Avounded, and 4 miss- 

The 5th was encamped, on the 1st of November, 1863, near Bealton Sta- 
tion, on the Orange and Alexandria railroad. On the 7th it crossed the 
Rappahannock at Kelly's Ford, and bivouacked near Brandy Stati(m on 
the 12th, occupying Avinter quarters Avhich the rebel forces had" abandoned. 
Participating in the movement of the army to Mine Kun, the regiment 
crossed the Kapidan on the 26th, and on the 27th Avas actively engaged at 
Locust Grove, losing a number in killed and Avounded, I^ieut. Daniel B. 
AVyker being among the killed. On the 2Uth the regiment arrived in front 
of the enemy's positicm at Mine Kun, and on the 36th supported a battery 
for 36 hours. Falling back with the army, the regiment reached its former 
camp, near Brandy Station, on the 30th of December. 

On the 3d of May, 1864, the regiment, in command of Colonel Pol ford, 

entered upon the great campaign of the Avar. It crossed the Kaj)idan at 

an early hour on the 4th, and at 4 P. jNI. reached the old battle-field at 

Chaucellorsville, having accomplished a distance of thirty-four miles in 

U * 



^30 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

seventeen liours, the men each cariyinq; the weight of five days' rations and 
sixty rounds of cartridges. On the 5th the enemy were met on the road 
leading to Orange Court-house. The regiment participated in the despe- 
rate struggle which ensued, sustaining, in this and tlie following day, a se- 
vere loss in killed and wounded. Captain George "W. Rose was here mor- 
tally wounded, and died of his wounds on the 20th. On the 0th, in 
command of Captains Walkenshaw and Shook, each commanding a wing, 
Colonel Pulford and IMajor Mathews being wounded on the day previous, 
it shared in a successful charge on the enemy's works. Sergeant Joseph 
Kemp capturing a stand of rebel colors. In this charge Captain Wilber- 
force Hurlburt, while leading his company, was shot through the head and 
instantly killed. 

On the 17th, the enemy having retreated, the regiment followed in pur- 
suit, overtaking them at noon on the 8th. A portion of the regiment was 
deployed as skirmishers, and the whole command was under a heavy artil- 
lery fire during the remainder of the day and until noon of the 10th. On 
the 11th the regiment was again engaged, suffering severely from the fire 
of the enemy's musketry and artillery. On the r2th, the 5th (with Avhich 
the remnant of the 3d IMichigan infantry had been temporarily consoli- 
dated,) participated in the charge made on the enemy's works on the right, 
at Spottsylvania Court-house. The command captured in this charge two 
stand of rebel colors, one taken by William lienwick, company D, and the 
other by Corporal Benjamin Morse, of company E. Both were members 
of the 3d infantry. 

After various forced marches the regiment arrived in front of the enemy's 
position, on the North Anna rivei", on the 23d, and assisted in taking their 
works on the north bank of that stream, capturing a number of prisoners, 
and driving the rebel forces into and across the river. It engaged on the 
24th in stregthening the works erected, the command holding their position 
under a heavy fire. During the afternoon the regiment crossed the river 
in the face of a very heavy fire of shot and shell, and again compelled the 
enemy to retire before them. Here Lieutemint Samuel Pcarce was killed. 
At an early hour on the 27th it recrossed the North Anna, forming part of 
the force that efiectually covered the movements of its corps, and at 11 A. 
M. marched toward the Pamunkey river, which it crossed at 4 P. INI. of the 
same day, having marched fifteen miles in five hours. On the 29th, 30th, 
and 31st, strong breastworks were thrown up, the men working day and 
night, although living on scanty rations and almost worn out with the 
rapid marching and fatigues of the campaign. On the latter date the 
regiment took j)art in a charge upon and capture of a strong line of rebel 
works. It reached the position at Cold Harbor on the 5th, and imuie- 
diately commenced the construction of breastworks. The 3d Michigan 
infantry was at this point on the 10th, permanently consolidated with the 
5th. 

Leaving Cold Harbor on the 12th, and crossing the Chicahominy at 
Long Bridge, the comnuxnd reached Charles City Court-house on the 13th, 
and on the 14th crossed the James river, arriving in front of Petersburg at 
10 P. M. of the loth. On the IGth it threw up intrenchments during the 
day, and at evening (again in command of Colonel Pulford) was heavily 
engaged with the enemy, assisting in taking one of their lines of Avorks. 
On the 18th the regiment again ])articipated in a successful charge on the 
enemy's lines, holding their position on the 19th and 20th under a heavy 
fire. Crossing the Sutiblk railroad on the 21st, the regiment moved on the 
enemy's right and engaged as skirmishers. The rebels fiankiug its posi- 



THE FIFTH INFANTRY. 331 

tion, it was obliged to retire with some loss. It, however, advanced later 
iu the day and retook its position. 

October 27th it marched to the Boydton plank road, and j)articipated in 
the attack made on the enemy's right, sustaininiz; a small loss in officers and 
men, including among the killed Adjutant J. F. McGinly and Lieutenant 
S. A. Boyd. The regiment captured a large number of prisoners in this 
battle, llaving returned to its old position in front of Petersburg, on the 
31st of October it received orders to garrison Fort Davis, on the Jerusalem 
plank road. The casualties in the engagements in which the regiment 
])articipated during the year were: At Kelly's Ford,! wounded; Ijocust 
Grove 1 killed, 15 wounded, 2 missing — total, 18 ; JNIine Run, 3 wounded; 
Wilderness, 38 killed, 1G7 wounded, 16 missing — total 221 ; Spottsylvania 
Court-house, G killed, GO wounded, 9 missing — total, 75 ; North Anna river, 
1 killed, 9 wounded, 1 missing — total, 11 ; Tolopotamy Creek, 2 killed, 4 
wounded, 11 missing — total, 17 ; before Petersburg, 15 killed, 52 wounded, 
19 missing — total, 8G ; Deep Bottom, 12 wounded; Boydton Plank Road, 
9 killed, 52 wounded, 43 missing — total, 105 ; being an aggregate of 73 
killed, 3G5 Avounded, and 101 missing, and a total of 549. 

On the 25th of INIarch, 1 8G5, the regiment participated in the attack ou 
the enemy's works near Hatcher's Run, where it assisted in driving him 
from his hrst line of works, after a heavy engagement of four hours. Re- 
maining at that point until the 29th, it moved about six miles to the left, 
and on the morning of the 30th tiie regilnent was deployed as skirmishers 
and became engaged with the enemy's pickets, and after driving them within 
their main line of woi'ks, near Fort Harney, fire was opened on the regiment 
from three batteries, but it succeeded in holding its ground until the otli 
corps got into positiori, when the line was maintained. On the 2d the regi- 
ment, with the 1st JNIassachusetts heavy artillery, made a demonstration on 
the enemy's works for the purpose of developing his position and strength. 
This being accomplished with but small loss, the command held its position 
during the night, and the next morning the regiment, with its corps, parti- 
cipated in the general assault on the enemy's fortifications, which resulted 
in carrying his entire line of works and the capture of Petersburg, and is re- 
ported to luive been the first regiment to raise its colors on the works. In 
following up the retreat of that part of the enemy which took the line of 
the 8outh Side railroad, the regiment was deployed as skirmishers, and on 
the 4th and 5th pressing his rear guard closely. On the Gth he made a 
stand at Sailor's creek to ])rotect the crossing of his baggage, when the ))ri- 
gade made a charge, capturing 173 wagons, the regiment taking a stand 
of cohjrs and 145 prisoners. The enemy being followed up closely by the 
brigade, ou the 7th and 8th, the regiment acting as flankers and skirmish- 
ers, became engaged at New Store, and on the 9th was iu the front in line 
of battle at Glover Hill at the surrender of Lee. 

This regiment was continually " pitching in" whenever opi)ortunity ofTered, 
and had space permitted it would have been interesting to have traced its 
entire career iu the war of the rebellion, as its fighting re(u)nl from Wil- 
liamsburg to Appomattox Court-house is most glorious and brilliant. 

The foUowing letter of Gen. Berry, on Michigan troops and Michigan, 
was written to a friend in Washington : 

" To all my sick and wminded in hospital you chance to visit give mv 
warmest regards f )r their welfare. May they speedily recover. So gallant 
a set of men should not suffer for want of anything. I trust they will be 
amply provided foi', as you intimate they are. A nobler set of men never 



332 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

lived. Any man can Avin fights with such material. I have received ten 
times more credit than I am entitled to for the part performed by my poor 
self in the late bloody battle. Such troops as 1 lead are bound to conquer, 
no matter who leads them. 

" Please give my compliments to all those Michigan men in Washington 
who take such interest in this brigade. Say to them that they are fortu- 
nate to hail from such a State that has such gallant sons. God bless the 
State and peoj)le of JNIichigan for the i^art it and they have taken to crush 
out this most unholy of all rebellions. 

" Truly, your sincere friend, 

"H. G. BERRY, 
" Brigadier- General in command oj Brigade" 

The brigade referred to was composed of the 2d, 3d, and 5th INIichigan 
infantry and the 1st and o7tli New York infantry, and this letter was writ- 
ten immediately following the last battle on the Peninsula. 

The following letter is from Gen. Phillip Kearney : 

Headquarters Third Division, 

Heintzelman's Corps, May 10, 1862. 
His Excellency Austin Blair, Governor of Michigan : 

Sir : — It gives me great pleasure to address you in order to bring to your 
immediate notice the noble and brave manner wdth which the troo])s of 
your State in my division conducted themselves in the engagement before 
Williamsburg on the 5th instant. The 2d, under Col, Poe, and the 5th, 
under Col. Terry, behaved in the most handsome manner. I have the honor 
to transmit herewith the reports of the colonels of these regiments, together 
with that of their general, Gen. Berry, commanding brigade, and also a 
copy of one sent in by myself to headquarters. I also send you a copy of 
the killed and wounded. Col. Poe served more immediately under my own 
command, and the gallantry and soldierly qualities he displayed rendered 
him particularly conspicuous. Col. Terry's regiment (5th) took a ritle-pit 
of much strength after a severe contest and held possession until the close 
of the action. 

Very respectfully, PHILLIP KEARNEY. 

The following is a copy of the last letter written by Col. Sherlock, and 
was completed when the movement commenced which terminated in the 
battle of Chancellorsville, and in which he fell gallantly leading his regi- 
ment : 

AVednesday Morxinc, Aj^ril 29, 18G3. 
On ilie march. 

My Dear Parents: — We left our old camp yesterday afternoon at 4 
o'clock in a rain storm. Last night, about 10 o'clock, we halted in a pine 
grove below Fredericksburg, and about a mile from the river. It appears 
that Hooker is going to attack the enemy in his strongholds and on his right 
and left flanks. There appears to be no dispositi(m to attack the enemy's 
centre, which is in the city. There is great surmising in the army as to the 
probabilities of Hooker's success ; a great many shake their heads ; but 
there is one conclusion we have all come to, and that is, that Hooker will 
fight and the loss of life will be awful, for Hooker has to make a reputa- 
tion. This morning is very foggy. Got to stop; order to move. You can 
see Mary's lettei'. God bless you all. 

EDWARD. 



THE SIXTH INFANTRY. 333 

THE SIXTH INFANTRY. 

The peculiar regiment of Michigan was the Gth infantiy, afterwards or- 
ganized as heavy artillery. This splendid and gallant regiment was pecu- 
liar by reason of its entire isolation, almost amounting to exile, from the 
rest of the Michigan troops during the whole term of its faithful service. 
It left the State in August, 1861, commanded by Col. F. W. Curtenius, 
under whose direction it was raised and organized, to join the army in the 
field, but was detained at Baltimore, where it remained on duty most of the 
following winter; thence sailed to Ship Island, Mississippi, and in April, 
18()2, left that place for New Orleans, constituting a part of Gen. Butler's 
force, and was one of the first regiments to occupy the city on its surrender. 
Serving during its whole term in the extreme South, it suffered nuu'h from 
the complaints incident to that climate, losing more men by disease than 
any other regiment from this State. 

The regiment was engaged at Sewcll's Point, Virginia, March Hth ; at 
Port Jackson, Louisiana, April 25th ; at Vicksburg, Mississippi, INlay 20lh ; 
at Grand Gulf, Mississippi, May 27th; and at Amite river, Mississippi, ou 
the 20th of June following. 

The battles of Baton liouge and Port Hudson, prominent in the history 
of the rebellion, are among the most conspicuous in which the Gth was en- 
gaged, and were important in their results, being most decided victories, 
securing to the Union arms strong positions on the line of the IMississippi 
river, and which were held during the wat. At Baton Rouge, August r)th, 
1802, while that place was being heavily attacked by the rebel fon^es in 
very superior numbers under Breckinridge, the regiment, then in command 
of (yajit. Charles E. Clark, received and repulsed the principal attack made 
on that day by the troops led by General Clark, of Mississippi, against the 
right wing of the Union forces, which, if successful, would have caused the 
loss of a large part of our artillery and given the enemy a most advantage- 
ous position, and might have led to very damaging results. 

The Union forces were commanded by General Thomas Williams, U. S. 
A., a native of Detroit, and was killed during the engagement, immediately 
after saying to the 21st Indiana, " Boys, your field oflicers are all gone. I 
will load you," His force consisted of seven regiments of infantry, viz: 
Gth jNIichigan, 30th Massachusetts, 7th Vermont, 14th Maine, 21st Indiana, 
4th Wisconsin, and 9th Connecticut ; Nims 2d Massachusetts battery, Ev- 
erett's Gth Massachusetts battery, Manning's 4th IMassachusetts battery, 
and a section of a battery taken by the 21st Indiana, and attached to that 
regiment, under command of Lieut. Brown. 

The enemy's force consisted of the 4th and oOtli Louisiana, two Mississippi 
regiments, the 3d, 4th, 5th, Gth, 7th, and 8th Kentucky, two Tennessee regi- 
ments, and one Alabama regiment, with thirteen pieces of artillery, and a 
large guerilla force. Their attacking force numbered fully 6,000 while the 
Union force engaged was not over 2,000. 

In this engagement the regiment fought by detachments, one commanded 
by Captain John Cordon, (.ne on picket, under Captain Garret J. Spitzer, 
and the other commanded by Captain Harrison Sonic. 

The importance of the repulse was acknowledged by General Butler in a 
congratulatory order issued soon after the affair, in which the regiment was 
higldy complimented for its gallant and valuable services, conspicuous 
bravery, and most determined fighting. 

Following the battle of Baton Kouge the regiment was engaged at Bayou 
Teche, January 14th, and at Ponchetoola, La., May 16, 1863. 



334 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

The regiment, commanded by Col. Thomas S. Clark, formed part of the 
force of General Banks which invested Fort Hudson, and which compelled 
its surrender. Col. Clark, in a report, thus mentions the part taken by his 
regiment on that occasion : 

" On the 23d of May, 1863, arriving before that stronghold, the regiment 
was placed in the most advanced position, and maintained it until the sur- 
render, on the 9th of July. During the siege of this formidable place, it 
participated in three desperate assaults upon its works. In the assault of 
the 27th of May the regiment, commanded by Col. Clark, led the division 
of General T. W. Sherman, and lost more than one-third of the men it had 
engaged, including Lieut. Fred. T. Clark, who fell while gallantly leading 
company D to the charge. In this affair Captain Montgomery led a forlorn 
hope of 200 volunteers belonging to the regiment. An assault was made 
on the 14th of June, Avhen the 6th, then commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel 
Bacon, advanced by detachments. The leading detachment, commanded 
by Captain John Cordon, one by Captain Stark following, with the balance 
of the regiment bringing up the rear. On the 29th of June, the regiment, 
then commanded by Captain Cordon, again advanced to the assault, when 
thirty-five of the regiment, composing a forlorn hope, assailed the enemy's 
works at the point known as the Citadel. The party succeeded in gaining 
the ditch, but were overpowered and driven back, with a loss of 8 killed 
and 9 wounded. Among the killed was Sergeant Madison O. Walker, who 
led the detachment." 

In this desperate undertaking, Private Charles Dustin, company F, from 
Dundee, INIich., got over the ditch and into the enemy's works, bringing 
out a rebel captain at the point of the bayonet, whom he delivered up to 
the commanding officer of the regiment. 

The conduct of the 6th was so gallant and efficient during the siege that 
it received the thanks of General Banks ; and on the 10th of July it was 
transferred to the artillery arm of the service on account of its faithful and 
valuable service. 

This regiment was stationed at Port Hudson, La., until the 11th of March, 
1864, when the requisite number having been mustered in as Veteran Vol- 
unteers to preserve the organization, it started for Michigan. The regiment 
arrived at Kalamazoo, where it was furloughed for thirty days. Having 
again assembled at Kalamazoo, it returned to Port Hudson, where it ar- 
rived on the 11th of May, with a very large number of recruits, enlisted while 
in Michigan. On the 6th of June the regiment was ordered to JNIorganzia, 
to serve as infantry, where it remained until the 24tli of June. From Mor- 
ganzia it proceeded to Vicksburg, Miss., where it served with the engineer 
brigade. Leaving Vicksburg, July 2od, it moved to the mouth of the 
White River, and thence to St. Charles, Ark., where it was attached to a 
regiment of infantry. A detachment of the regiment, while on a transport 
671 route from Vicksburg to the White River, was attacked by a rebel bat- 
tery, losing two killed and a number wounded. Remaining but a short 
time at St. Charles, the regiment again returned to Morganzia, where for a 
time it was employed as engineers, but soon after its arrival it was ordered 
to report to the chief of artillery, and again returned to duty as heavy artil- 
lery. The regiment was present at the bombardment and surrender of Fort 
Morgan, Ala., but arrived too late to participate. 

Almost the entire service of this regiment during the war was rendered 
in the extreme Southern States, and on the 1st of November, 1864, it was 
stationed in Alabama, and garrisoned, with its headquarters and compa- 
nies A, B, D, G, and K, at Fort Morgan, and Fort Gaines, Dauphine 



THE SIXTH INFANTRY. 335 

Island, Mobile Bay, with companies C, E, F, II, and I. Companies B, C, 
E, F, and H were detached on the 23d of December, and joined an expe- 
dition nnder Major-Gcneral Gordon Granger, to operate from Pensacola 
against Mobile, and were temporarily attached, as infantry, to the brigade 
of General Bertram, which led the advance, and so remained until the 
campaign was advanced from Mobile Point and Pensacola, on tlie 27th of 
January, 1865, when Bertram's command made a heavy demonstration on 
Mobile, the whole command being recalled at night and hurriedly trans- 
ferred to the advancing force from the East, the detached companies of this 
regiment being ordered to their former stations in Forts Morgan and Gaines. 
On the 31st of March companies A and K were detached from the com- 
mand at Fort Morgan, and ordered to the front, to report to Gen. Granger, 
and were each equipped witli a battery of 10-incli mortars, and on their 
arrival at the front were ordered into position imder tlie guns of !>panish 
Fort; there they did very tine execution at a range of 1,400 yards. ^Vftcr 
the fort was taken, these companies were ordered to man and turn tlic heavy 
captured guns, consisting of 7-inch Brooks' rifled and 100-pound Parrotts, 
on the rebel Forts linger and Tracy, and with them performed good ser- 
vice until all the enemy's works within range were reduced, and Mobile 
surrendered. 

On the 9th of July following the regiment took steamers for New Orleans, 
and on the 20th of August was mustered out of service. 

In General Butler's order is found the following paragraphs : 

"The commanding General has carefully revised the official reports of 
the action of August 5th, at Baton Rouge, to collect the evidence of the 
gallant deeds and meritorious services of those engaged in that brilliant 
victory. 

" The name of the lamented and gallant General "Williams has already 
passed into history. 

"The 6th Michigan fought rather by detachments than as a regiment, 
but deserves the fullest commendation for the gallant behavior of its offi- 
cers and men. Companies A, B, and F, under command of Captain Cor- 
don, receive special mention for the coolness and courage with which they 
supported and retook Brown's battery, rcjuting the 4th Louisiana and cap- 
turing their colors, which the regiment has leave to send to its native 
State. 

"Captain Charles E. Clark, acting Lieutenant-Colonel 6th Michigan, 
prevented the enemy from flanking our right, bringing his command at 
the critical moment to the support of Nim's battery. Lieutenant Ilowell, 
company F, 6th Michigan, and Lieutenant A. T. Ralph, acting adjutant, 
for intrepedity ; Captain Spitzey, 6th Micliigan, in command of the com- 
pany of pickets, who handsomely held in check the enemy's advance ; the 
feai'less conduct of Lieutenant Howell, company F, and Sergeant Thayer, 
company A, 6th Michigan regiment, after they were wounded, in support- 
ing Lieutenant BroAvn's battery. 

" Captain Soule and Lieutenant Fassett, company I, 6th Michigan, as 
skirmislicrs, were wounded, and deserve special notice for the steadiness of 
their command, Avhich lost heavily in killed and wounded." 

Lieutenant G. Weitzel, (afterwards Major-General,) then Chief Engineer 
Department of the Gulf, and present with the troops in the engagement, 
says in his official report: "Three companies of the 6th Michigan covered, 
themselves with glory in recovering from a large force two guns, posted on 
the right of the Magnolia Cemetery, which temporarily were left by our 



336 • HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

forces. These same tliree companies captured the colors of the 4th Louis- 
iana, but only after they had shot down four successive color-bearers." 

Note. — Mr. Greeley, in his reliable " American Conflict," says of the operations at 
Port Hudson, May 21, 1863 : " Never was fighting more heroic than that of our army, 
assailing nearly equal numbers behind strong defences, approached only through almost 
impassable abatis, swept by rebel shell and grape. If valor could have triumphed oyer 
such odds, they would have carried the works ; but only abject cowardice or pitiable 
imbecility could have lost such a position to so small an army ; and the rebels also 
fought well." 

In the valuable work, the " American Encyclopedia," is found the following notice of 
the same affair: " At 2 o'clock A. M. (27th) an assault was commenced on the works 
on the centre and left of the centre by the divisions under General Augur and Brig. 
General Sherman, (T. W.) The enemy was driven into his works and the Federal 
troops moved up to the fortifications, holding the opposite side of the parapet with the 
enemy." 

At the siege of Port Hudson the 6th was under the command of General T. W. Sher- 
man, so prominently engaged on May 28th, and which consisted of the 6th Michigan II. 
Artillery, 2nd (Duryea's) Zouaves, 128th and 147th regiments N. Y. Infantry, with the 
26lh Conn. Infantry, and 2 1st Indiana and 2nd Vermont Batteries. 

An officer serving at the time with the rebel army in Port Hudson, in his diary says 
of that day's work : " About nine o'clock in the morning the attack was made in the 
woods on Co). Steadman's (rebel) centre, and upon the line of fortifications on General 
Beall's right. The latter attack, that of Sherman's brigade, was the most imposing in 
appearance. Emerging from the woods at the distance of about four hundred yards 
from our breastworks, the Zouave regiment charged in line of battle across an open 
field. The gay colors of their uniforms contrasted brilliantly with the green and som- 
bre shades of the trees and field, making a fine mark for our fire. As soon as they ap- 
peared in sight our artillery opened on them with spherical case, many of them burst- 
ing right in their ranks, but the gaps were quickly closed up, and they came on in 
splendid style. As they lessened the distance, our gunners substituted grape for shrap- 
nel!, and when they finally came within one hundred and fifty yards our guns were 
double-charged with canister, and the infantry receiving the order at the same time to 
fire, the field was swept with a storm of musket balls and grape-shot. 

"The advancing line of Zouaves wavered and then halted, while they were dropping 
from the ranks, mown down by our deadly fire, which now became an incessant rattle 
of musketry, intermingled with rapid discharges of canister from tiie guns. 

" The Zouaves, after wavering for a while in indecision, finally broke and scattered, 
most of the men throwing themselves fiat on the ground behind stumps, logs and ine- 
qualities of the ground where they now commenced sharp-shooting. * * * 

"As soon as the Zouaves broke, Sherman's brigade came out of the woods in column, 
and played to the right and left in line of battle, as prettily as if they were on drill, 
Our artillerists again had recourse to shell and shrapnell, and the infantry opened oa 
this advance sooner than before. Their charge was a good one, and had the advantage 
of the Zouave line of Sharp-shooters, some of whom were within a hundred yards of 
our works, and whose Minie balls were whistling over our parapet. 

" But our men, though opposed by an enemy ten times their number, kept up a with- 
ering fire, and after the brigade had approached a little nearer than the Zouaves had 
done, it finally hesitated and wavered. At this sure precursor to a rei)ulse, our boys 
sent up a shout of triumph for the victory they now saw certain. The enemy's officers 
and many of the men ran ahead of the liue and urged the others on, but in vain ; their 
confidence in themselves was gone. Some of them, in the hopes of inspiring others, 
started a cheer, but it died away in a weakly strain, and, the rear rank giving way, the 
front rank turned also, and the whole force made for the woods to the sound of our 
ringing cheers. At the woods they rallied, and reforming their line under our artillery 
fire they again charged. It was useless ; we knew that troops we had once driven back 
so far would not succeed on a second trial under similar circumstances. After coming 
within fifty or sixty yards of where they first broke, they wavered again and speedily 
broke and ran thoroughly defeated." 

THE SEVENTH INFANTRY. 

The 7th Michigan — the gallant forlorn-hope regiment at the battle of 
Fredericksburg — was recruited and organized under the direction of Col- 



THE SEVENTH INFANTRY. 337 

ouel Ira R. Grosvenor, at ^Monroe, and leaving that point for tlie field ou 
the 5th of September, 1861, first eiic(mntered the enemy in the afiliir at 
Ball's JJlufF, Ya., Oetober 21tit following, where, in command of that offi- 
cer, it gained credit even in that disastrous engagement. It afterwards 
moved with MeClellan to the Peninsula, and endured the hardships and 
disappointments of that barren campaign, participating in common in its 
victories and defeats, but always with much credit, and had the honor to 
serve in the rear-guard of the army on the retreat to Harrison's Landing. 

It also t(K)k part in the jMaryland actions. At the battle of Antietam 
it is reported to have lost more than half its force engaged, including Cap- 
tain Allen H. Zacharias, who died of his wounds on January 1st following, 
and among the killed were Captain J. H. Turrill, Lieutenant J. P. Eber- 
liard, and Lieutenant John A. Clark. 

But one of the great feats of the war, than which none will appear 
brighter in history, was reserved for the 7th at Fredericksburg, on Decem- 
ber 11, 18G2, wdien Burnside concluded to cross the Rappahannock and 
attack the rebels in that stronghold. The upper pontocm had been laid 
part of the way by the engineers during the night of the 10th. Daylight 
exposed them to the fire of the enemy's sharp-shooters, which drove them 
off. Volunteers were called for to cross the river and gain a j)osition to 
protect the laying of the bridge. Immediately the 7th Michigan, under 
the gallant Baxter, rushed to the boats, crossed the stream in full view of 
both armies, under a most terrific fire from the enemy's sharp-shooters, 
losing heavily, but vigorously charging the rebels ou the opposite bank, 
drove them from their rifle-pits, taking a number of prisoners and holding 
the ground. Colonel Baxter, having fallen severely wounded, recrossed 
the river, while the regiment, with the 19th and 20th Massachusetts, which 
had crossotl by the second trip of the boats, dashed up the hill into the 
city, driving the enemy from house to house, and from stronghold to strong- 
hohl, (■a[)(uring nearly as many prisoners as the regiment numbered, and 
inflicting a severe loss in killed and wounded, while their own loss was 
also heavy, including among the killed Lieutenant Franklin Emery, 
of the 7th Michigan. The river thus protected, the laying of the pontoons 
was speedily accomplished, on which Burnside crossed a portion of his 
army. 

Engaging with the Army of the Potomac in the Pennsylvania campaign, 
this regiment underwent the laborious and forced marches by which it was 
niarkeil, rendered more arduous by the intense heat of the weather. On 
the 27th of June the regiment was detailed as wagon guard at 7.45 A. M., 
marched by a circuitous route to near Urbana, Md., where it halted at 3 
A. M., on the 28th, a distance said by citizens to have been thirty-seven 
miles ; on the 28th it marched six miles to Monocacy. On the '29th it 
marched at 9 A. M., and reached Uniontown at 9 P. M., thirty-miles in 
twelve hours; thus, in three days, marching seventy-five miles. The regi- 
ment arrived on the field at Gettysburg on the 2d of July and Avas imme- 
diately sent to tlic front on Cemetery Hill, having fourteen officers and one 
hundred and fifty-one men. It occupied the same position until the close 
of the battle ou the 3d. The loss of the regiment atOettysburg was twenty- 
one killed and forty-four wounded. Among tlie killed were Lieut. Colonel 
Amos E. Steele, commanding the regiment, and Lieut. Albert Slafter, both 
gallant officers. 

Entering on the campaign of 1864, it is found in command of Major S. 
"W. Curtis, crossing the Ra])idan at Ely's Ford on May 4th and on the 5th 
becoming engaged at the Wilderness, with small loss. On the 6th it lost 
V 



338 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

eight killed, thirty-eight wounded, and eight missing. On the 8th it moved 
to the left, near Po river, and on the 9th crossed. On the 10th it was ex- 
posed to a severe fire from sharp-shooters, losing four wounded, and on the 
same day, in an assault on the enemy's works on the right, at Spottsylvania 
Court-house, it lost five killed and eight wounded. On the 11th it lost three 
wounded. On the 12th the 7th took part in Hancock's charge on the left 
of the enemy's line, in which its casualties were eleven wounded. On the 
13th it lost three killed and ten wounded. Withdrawing with the army 
from in front of the enemy's works at Spottsylvania Court-house, the regi- 
ment arrived at the North Anna river on the 23d, and was engaged as skir- 
mishers on the 24th at Chesterfield Ford, where the regiment lost one killed 
and three wounded, including Lieut. Charles Oakley mortally, who died on 
the next day. On the 26th it was employed in the rear guai'd of the army, 
in the flank movement of the latter across the Pamuukey river, arriving at 
the Tolupotamy creek on the 28th. On the 30th and 31st of May and 1st 
of June it was engaged as skirmishers, with a loss of six killed and nine 
wounded. On the 1st the regiment again served as rear guard for the army 
in the movement to Cold Harbor, and on the 3d, in a charge on the enemy's 
works, lost two killed and fourteen wounded. From the 3d to the 10th its 
casualties Avere one killed and twelve wounded. It crossed the James river 
with the army and arrived in front of Petersburg on the evening of the 15th. 
From this date to the 25th of July the regiment was engaged in labor on 
the fortifications and on picket, losing three killed and twenty wounded. 
The regiment, like the other Michigan regiments in the Army of the Poto- 
mac, had gone gallantly through the forced marches and hardships of the 
campaign, and now, with equal fortitude, it endured with them the labors 
in the trenches before Petersburg. On the 27th the 7th, with its corps, 
crossed the James river at Deep Bottom, but on the 29th returned to its 
former position before Petersburg, having lost during the movement two 
men wounded. It remained here employed in fiitigue and picket duty until 
August 12th, when it again moved to Deep Bottom, and on the 14th and 
17th was engaged in the battles of Strawberry Plains and Flussier's Mill, 
losing three killed and eleven wounded ; Lieut. Harty S. Felt mortally, who 
died on the 24th following. On the 20th the regiment returned to 
near Petersburg. On the 25th it was engaged in the battle of Ream's Sta- 
tion, on the Weldon railroad ; its casualties in this action being one killed, 
four wounded, and eight missing. 

Passing through the various campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, ac- 
quitting itself nobly in every battle in which it became engaged, the regi- 
ment is found on the 26th of October, 1864, in the hottest of the fight at 
Hatcher's Run, near Burgess' Farm and Boydton Plank Road, where its 
corps, the 2d, was heavily engaged, and in which the 7th Michigan, then 
only eighty-five strong took twenty officers and four hundred and eighty men 
prisoners, while Sergeant Alonzo Smith, (afterwards first lieutenant,) cap- 
tured the colors of the 26th North Carolina infantry, for which he was pre- 
sented with a medal of honor by the Secretary of War. Through some 
misunderstanding the 7th was left on the line after the Union troops were 
withdrawn, and remained in that condition until the morning of the 28th, 
when Col. Lapoiute, then in command, finding that his regiment had been 
left alone on the field, formed his men and explained to them their perilous 
situation, telling them to stand by him and they could find their way out. 
They commenced at once their dangerous undertaking, marching 12 miles 
through the country held by the enemy, gallantly fighting their way at 
almost every step, pursued and harassed constantly by cavalry threatening 



THE SEVENTH INFANTRY. 339 

to cut tliera off, but they arrived safe within our lines at sundown of the 
same day. Gen. Hancock, their corps commander, complimented tlic regi- 
ment higlily on the occasion, and characterized the undertaking as one of 
the most praiseworthy and daring of the war. 

On April 2d, 1865, the regiment, together with details from the 1st IMin- 
nesota and 19th INIassachusetts, charged the enemy's works at Cat Tail 
Creek, caj^turing two forts and three guns, then sweeping down the line, 
captured live other forts, well defended by infantry, and during the day 
taking about five hundred prisoners and several horses. The regiment is 
reported to have been the first to break the rebel lines in front of the 2d 
corps. After marching with the division to the rear of Petersburg, tlie 
regiment was deployed as skirmishers up the South Side railroad, in ad- 
vance of the division, taking many prisoners and contrabands, and cap- 
turing great nund)ers of horses and mules. On April od it marched ten 
miles, continuing the march on the 4th and 5th ; on the Gth it received 
orders to report to General Smith, and w^as put in the advance of the skir- 
mish line of the 3d brigade, taking a number of prisoners during the day, 
and at 9 P. M. rejoined the division, having marched about thirty miles. 
On the morning of the 7th it marched with its brigade, until near High 
Bridge, in the vicinity of Farmville, when, together with the 59th New 
York, it was deployed as skirmishers to cover the front and flanks of the 
brigade, and moving on the enemy, it participated in capturing many pris- 
oners, advancing to within, half a mile of Farmville, when the enemy, 
throwing a heavy column of infixntry and cavalry on the right and rear of 
the skirmish line, its connection with the brigade was cut off; but as soon 
as the advance on its rear was discovered, the skirmish line was faced to 
the rear, and charged the advancing force ; but the enemy being superior 
in numbers, the line was repulsed, the regiment losing three officers and 
thirty-four men prisoners, including one officer severely wounded. In the 
afternoon the regiment w^as relieved from the front, and rejoined its brigade. 
On the 8th the march was continued until 12 P. M., and on the 9th 
marclied about five miles, when General Lee's army surrendered. 

There was found in the pocket-book of Captain Zacharias a note, dated 
Fair Oaks, June 28, 1862, and is as follows : 

"Allen Howard Zacharias was born May 15, 1833, in Clear Spring, 
Washington county, JNIaryland, and removed with his father to Monroe 
county, ]\Iichigan, in 1841. Graduated A.B. from the University of 
Michigan, June, 1860. Went to Mississippi in September, and became a 
professor, and in February, 1861, principal of the State IMilitary Institute, 
at Brandon, in that State. Resigned his ])Osition in May, and returned to 
Michigan, when, from a solemn sense of duty, enlisted as a corporal, and 
was promoted first lieutenant June 25th, and to a captaincy ]\Iarch 10, 
1862; was with the regiment at Yorktown, West Point, and Fair Oaks, 
May 31st and June 1st." 

Upon the other side of the paper was found the following : 

"Friend: If you find my body lifeless upon the field, bury it decently, 
mark its resting place, and inform my friends in the regiment and ray 
father. Do this, and you shall be liberally rewarded, and have the grati- 
tude of mv friends. 

(Signed) A. H. ZACHARIAS, 

" Captain, Company K, 1th Michigan." 

He did not fall on the retreat to James river, but fell in Maryland, the 
place of his nativity, and near the spot on which he first saw the light. In 



340 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DDRIN'G THE REBELLION. 

his hand, while laying on the l^loody field, was found an old envelope, 
written over as follows : 

" To Peter K. Zacharias, Monroe, Michigan : 

"Dear Parent, Brothers, and Sisters: I am Avounded— mortally, 
I think. The fight rages around me. I have done my duty ; this is my 
con^:;olation. I hope to meet you all again. I left not the line until nearly 
all had fallen, and colors gone. I am getting weak ; my arms are free, but 
below my chest all is numb. The enemy trotting over me ; the numbness 
up to my heart. Good-bye, all. 

" Your son, ALLEN." 

He was found and conveyed to a field hospital, and the scrap sent to his 
friends by a kind-hearted private of the 4th Maine battery. Being so near 
the place of his nativity, he was soon found by friends — INIr. Joseph B. 
Loose, of Hagerstown ; Rev. Dr. Zacharias, his uncle, from Frederick ; 
Rev. J. S. Loose, of Greeucastle, Penna., and conveyed to the house of Mr. 
Loose, of Hagerstown, where he was joined the next day by his sister 
Kate, who was visiting in Reading, Penna., and in a short time by his 
father. But they could not save him. His body was brought home to 
Michigan for interment, and on the 3d of January was placed by the side 
of his mother, in the cemetery of the German Reform Church in Ida, Mon- 
roe county, Michigan. 

Lieutenant John J. Brown died at Alexandria, October 2, 18G3, of 
wounds received on picket, September 18, 1863. 

THE EIGHTH INFANTRY. 

The 8th infiintry, recruited by Col. W. IM. Fenton, of Flint, might well 
be designated as the wandering or itinerant regiment of INIichigan, leaving 
the Slate on the 27th of September, 1861, commanded by that officer, for the 
field in Virginia. It embarked at Annapolis, Md., as part of the expedition 
to Hilton Ilead, under Gen. T. AV. Sherman. Down to November 1, 1862, 
it had been engaged in nine battles, occurring in four diflTerent States, South 
Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Maryland, and afterwards served in the 
various campaigns of the 9th corps in Tennessee, Mississippi, and, down to the 
close of the war, in Virginia. This brave and patriotic regiment com- 
menced its battles at Port Royal, S. C, November 7, 1861, and was engaged 
most creditably in several others from that time to April 16, 1862, when 
it became specially noted in the spirited engagement on the reconnoisance 
made from on board the steamer Honduras by Col. Fenton, at Wilmington 
Island, Ga., on that day, where, after landing from the boats, it encountered 
the 13th Georgia, about 800 strong, armed with Enfield rifles, and drove 
them from the field in confusion, with loss, and leaving their dead on the 
ground. The o])ject of the reconnoisance having been efiected, the regi- 
ment, about dark, re-embarked on board the steamer. Its loss, out of a 
force of 300 men, were 10 killed and 35 wounded. Here fell two gallant 
officers. Adjutant N. Minor Pratt, killed instantly, and Lieutenant Fred- 
erick ]\I. Badger, who died of his wounds at Beaufort, S. C, three days after 
the battle. 

On June 16th f )llowing it was most signally distinguished in the assault 
made upon the enemy's works at Secessionville, on James Islan<l, S. C, by 
a command of Genei-al Plunter's forces, under General Bcnham. The direct 
attack was made by General Stevens with tlie brigade led by Col. Fenton, 
and composed of the 8th Michigan, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Frank 



THE EIGHTH INFANTRY. 341 

Graves, 7th Connecticut, and 28tli JMassacluisetts, and the brigade of Col. 
Leisure, comprising theTOtli New York lligldauders, 4Glh NewYork, 100th 
Pennsylvania, and four detached companies of artillery. At first break of 
day the entire command was in motion, with strict orders to maintain most 
perfect silence, and to rely exclusively on the bayonet — to resort to firing 
only in case of manifest necessity. The force i)ressed forward, surprising 
and capturing the enemy's pickets and advanced promptly in line of battle 
without firing a gun to within one hundred yards of the enemy's works, 
when it received his hre of graj)e and canister, in advancing over the 
narrow strip of dry land, not over twcj hundred yards wide, between the 
marshes, being the only route by which the works could be reached, and 
that obstructed by an almost insuperable abatis, while the works were pro- 
tected by a ditch seven feet deep, and having a parapet nine feet high. 

The 8th Michigan being in the direct advance, immediately supported 
by the Highlanders, was completely swei)t by grape and canister at close 
range from six guns on the works, as well as by their musketry. Under 
this dreadful and destructive fire, and in defiance of these formidable de- 
fences, parties composed of oflicers and men t'vom the 8th Michigan and 
79th New York succeeded in gaining the parapet, but were shot down in 
the act; and, finally the assaulting force finding it impossible to carry the 
works had to withdraw. In Col. Fenton's report, covering the part taken 
by his brigade in the affair, is found the following: 

" The order not to fire, but use the bayonet, was obeyed, and the advance 
companies reached the [)arapet of tlie works at the angle on our right and 
front, engaging the enemy at the point of the bayonet. During our advance 
the enemy opened upon our lines an exceedingly destructive fire of grape, 
canister, and musketry, and yet the regiment pushed on as veterans, divided 
only to the right and left by a sweeping torrent from the enemy's main gun 
in front. The enemy's fire proved so galling and destructive that our men 
on the parapet were obliged to retire under its cover. The field was fur- 
rowed across with cottt)n ridges, and many of the men lay there loading and 
firing as deliberately as though on their hunting grounds at home." 

This was one of the most dashing assaults of the war, but made at a dis- 
tressing sacrifice of life, the 8th Michigan losing 185 in killed, wounded, 
and missing out of 534, including 12 out of 22 ofHcers. Captains Simetm C. 
Gould and Benjamin B. Church here fell mortally wounded, while bravely 
doing tiieir duty; ofiicers possessing great courage and true patriotism. 

After the engagement at James Island, the 9th cor])s joined the Army of 
the Potomac in the Pope campaign, and the 8th was in the battles at Bull 
Run, August 29th and 30th, and at Chantilly on September 1st, losing 
lieavily, including Lieut. W. A. Brown among the severely wounded, of the 
1st, causing his death during that month. 

Immediately following tliese engagements the Sth, with its corps, entered 
upon the ^laryland campaign, and was conspicuously a particijxiut in these 
im])ortant affairs. 

The regiment took a part in the campaigns of the 9th corps in Mississippi 
and ICast Tennessee in 18G3, and participated in the advance of General 
Sherman on Jackson, Miss., becoming engaged at that ))lace on the 10th 
and IGth of June, but without serious loss. 

From the 1st to the 1 4th of November, 1863, the 8th infnntry was en- 
camped at^ Lenoir Station, East Teunessee. The rebels, under General 
Longstreet, having commenced their advance on Knoxville, the 8th, with 
other f )rces, were ordered on the 14th to Hough's Ferry, on the Ilol-^ton 
river, but during the night returned to Lenoir Station, and on the 16th 



342 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

commenced the retreat to Knoxville. Being rapidly followed by the enemy, 
a stand was made at Campbell's Station. A brisk engagement ensued, in 
■which the loss of the regiment was eleven in Avounded. The purhuit of the 
rebels was here checked, but during the night the retreat Avas continued, 
the regiment arriving at Knoxville on the morning of the 17th. During 
the retreat to Knoxville, and the siege of that place, which was immediately 
commenced by the rebel forces, the regiment endured many hardships and 
privations, suffering especially from want of sufficient food and proper 
clothing. The 8th, during the entire siege, occupied the front line of w'orks. 
On the 29th of November the regiment assisted to repel the assault of the 
rebels on Fort Sanders, the enemy being driven off with large loss. On the 
5th of December the rebels withdrew from in front of Knoxville, and the 
8th engaged in the pursuit as far as Rutledge, but on the IGth returned to 
Blain's Cross-roads, Avhere it encamped. 

On the 4th of May the regiment commenced the campaign with the Army 
of the Potomac in its advance on Richmond, crossing the Rapidan at Ger- 
mania Ford on the 5th. The 8th was prominently engaged during the 
advance in the Wilderness, and lost many brave men. On the 6th its casu- 
alties were ninety-nine in killed, wounded, and missing, including its com- 
mander Colonel Frank Graves, a gallant young officer of much promise, 
who fell by wounds while commanding his regiment, and was brutally mur- 
dered by rebels because he w^ould not submit to indignity and robbery at 
their hands. On the 8th the regiment, then commanded by Colonel Ralph 
Ely, marched through Chancelhn-sville to Spottsylvania Court-house, and 
on the 12th participated in the heavy assault on the enemy's entrenchments 
at that point, losing forty-nine officers and men, among the killed being 
Lieutenant Edgar A. Nye. In the attack on the rebel lines at Bethesda 
Church, near Cold Harbor on June 3d, it was hotly engaged, and lost au 
aggregate of fifty -two, including among the killed INlajor W. E. Lewis, The 
regiment took part in the attacks on the works before Petersburg on the 
17th and 18th of June, losing forty-nine. Lieutenant Thomas Campbell 
being among the killed of the 17th. These three officers who lost their 
lives in the battles of their country were highly esteemed in their regiment 
for their many soldierly qualities and moral worth. On the oOth of July 
it was in the engagement following the explosion of the mine, losing thirteen 
in killed and wounded. On the 19th of August it participated in the 
repulse of the enemy's assault on our lines at the Weldon road, sustaining 
a loss of thirty killed, wounded, and missing. Here fell the gallant Major 
Belcher, a brave, honest, and patriotic soldier. On the 30th it crossed the 
Weldon road, and took a part in the engagement of that date, near Poplar 
Grove Church, sustaining a loss of eight wounded. 

The regiment, while in command of JNIajor R. N. Doyle, also distinguished 
itself most conspicuously on the 2d of April, 1865, in front of Petersburg, 
when it engaged in the assault upon the enemy's position at Port ISIahon, 
where it took part in carrying the works at that point, and is claimed to 
have been one of the first regiments to j)lace its colors on that rebel strong- 
hold, and was among the first troops to enter Petersburg. In this affair it 
lost Capt. Henry B. Burritt, who was killed during the assault. 

The following is the report of Colonel Fenton of the operations of his 
regiment at Wilmington Island, where it was specially eugaged and lost 
heavily : and in reading it, as Avell as the various other official reports 
contained in this volume, the people of Michigan cannot but "be ])road of 
the record which was made by their troops upon the battle-fields of the 
Union : 



THE EIGHTH INFANTRY. 343 

Headquarters 8th Regiment Michigan Vols., 
(On board steamer Honduras,) 
Off Wilmington Island, Ga., 11 o'clock P. M., 

April 16, 1862. 
Lieut. W. L. M. Burger, 

Acting Assistant Adjutani General, Tybee Island, Ga. : 

Sir : — I have the honor to report for the iuformatiou of the general com- 
manding — 

That in compliance with special orders No. 41 I embarked with seven 
companies of the 8th INIichigan regiment as an escort to Lieut. J. H. Wil- 
son, Topographical Engineer, on a reconnoissance of Wilmington Island. 

Two companies, under command of Ca])taiu Pratt, were landed at Scri- 
vens' Plantation, with orders from Lieut. Wilson to skirt Turner's creek on 
the left. The other five companies were landed at Gibson's Plantation. 
Two of these companies were ordered to skirt Turner's creek, on the right; 
a third was to take the road to the right, towards the ferry at Gaston's Bluff, 
to protect a boat party up Oatland creek, and the remainder to secure the 
landing. 

After one company of the five was landed Lieut. Wilson proceeded in a 
boat to Turner's creek. 

Owing to the small number of boats and the distance from the steamer, 
which was grounded, some delay occurred- in tlie disend)arcation. I directed 
Lieut. Gol. Graves to f )llow with the second company and to skirt Turner's 
creek, but, being misdirected, he took the road to the right towards Car- 
son's Bluff; and on landing with the remaining companies I received infor- 
mation that the enemy were in force at Fleetwood Plantation, and to the 
left of the road. This rendered the reconnoissance of Oatland creek with 
boats useless, and I ordered the c(mipanies all in ; and, stationing the re- 
maining companies to guard against an attack at our landing, sent out 
strong pickets on both roads. 

I believe the advance of the company to the right instead of along Tur- 
ner's creek saved my command, as it sooner enabled me to post the men to 
advantage and take a positiim from which the enemy's approach could be 
observed. The enemy proved to be the Georgia 13th, about 800 strong, 
armed with Enfield rifles. As they approached, about 4 o'clock P. IM., with 
a strong body of skirmisliers in the skirting of woods below the road, the 
companies I had stationed to the right and left of the road, in accordance 
with my instructions, opened fire. I immediately sounded the charge for 
advance of companies in the rear of the first line. The first line, mistaking 
the signal, fell back to the next cover. A constant and effective fire was 
kept up on both sides from cover of trees and bushes f )r an hour or more, 
Lieut. Wilson, who had returned with the boat party, here proved of great 
service to me. He took a party, at my request, to the left, and I ordered a 
company to the right to flank the enemy. Both operations were successful ; 
and in a few moments the enemy retreat'd in confusion, leaving several 
dead on the field, f )llowed by our men with loud cheers. 

It being now about sunset I recalled our troops, and giving to Lieut. Wil- 
son the command of pickets stationed to guard against surprise, formed the 
companies in line as originally posted, sent the dead and wounded in boats 
to the ship, and gradually and very quietly, under ct)ver of night, with- 
drawing the men, sent them on board as fast as our limited transportation 
would allow. At the last trip of the boats I end)arked, acct)mi)anied by 
Lieut, Wilson, Lieut. Col. Graves, and the remainder of my command, (at 



344 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

about 10 o'clock P. M.,) and immediately brought ou board the two compa- 
nies left at Scriveus' Plautatiou. 

After the enemy retreated we were unmolested. It is due to the officers 
and men of the command to say that generally they behaved with cool and 
intrepid courage. 

Adjutant Pratt fell dead near my side gallantly fighting, musket in hand, 
and cheering on the men. Our loss, I regret to say, was comparatively 
heavy; ten killed and thirty-five wounded out of a command of three hun- 
dred men. Among the wounded is acting Lieut. Badger, of company C, 
who was in charge of the advance picket, and exhibited undaunted courage. 
He with one of his men was made prisoner ; both escaped and were brought 
in when the enemy retreated. 

The captain of the Honduras is deserving of great credit for his kind at- 
tention to the wounded ; indeed he afforded us every facility for the comfort 
of officers and men in his power. 

I respectfully refer to Lieut. Wilson's report, (which I have read,) and 
it contains some facts not embraced in this report ; among others in relation 
to the men detailed in charge of the field-piece on board ship, Avho were 
vigilant and attentive. 

Herewith is transmitted a list of casualties. 

I am, &c., WM. M. FENTON, 

Colonel 8th Regiment Michigan Volunteers. 

In an order issued immediately following the engagement by General 
Stevens, he says : 

" You were ordered not to fire, but to push forward and use the bayonet 
You obeyed the order. You formed in line under a terrible fire of grape, 
canister, and musketry. You pushed to the ditch and abatis of the work 
from right to left. Parties from the leading regiments of your two brigades, 
the 8th Michigan and 79th Highlanders, mounted and were shot down ou 
the parapet, officers and men. These two regiments covered themselves with 
glory, and their fearful casualties show the hot work in which you were 
engaged." 

IMr. Greeley, in his " American Conflict, says : 

"Stevens had these in position at 3.30 A. M. at our outer picket line 
within rifle range of the enemy and advanced at 4 — the morning being dark 
and cloudy — so swiftly and noiselessly that he captured most of the rebel 
pickets and was within one hundred yards of the main defences not having 
fired a shot, when Lamar opened on him with grape and canister, ploughing 
bloody lines through the storming party, and destroying its compactness, if 
not impairing the momentum of its charge. The 8th IMichigan — Col. Fen- 
ton's own — was in the direct advance, supported by the Highlanders, with 
the residue of both brigades ready and eager to do and dare all that men 
might ; and if well directed valor could have carried the enemy's works by 
direct assault they would have done it." 

The gallant conduct of Major Belcher (then a lieutenant) at the battle 
of South IMountain is noticed by General J. D. Cox, commanding the Kan- 
awha division, in his report of the part taken by his division in that engage- 
ment, as follows: 

" I cannot close this report without speaking of the meritorious conduct 
''of First Lieut. II. Belcher, of the 8th Michigan, a regiment belonging to 
another division. His reginiont having stiffc>rod severely on the right, and 
being partly thrown into confusion, he rallied about one hundred men and 
led them up to the front. Being separated from the brigade to which he 



THE NINTH INFANTRY. 345 

belonged he reported to me for duty, and asked a position where he might 
be of use till his ])roper place could be ascertained. He was assigned a post 
on the left and subsequently in support of the advanced section of Simmons' 
battery, in both of which places he and his men performed their duty ad- 
mirably, and after the repulse of the enemy in the evening he carried his 
command to their proper brigade." 

THE NINTH INFANTRY. 

The most prominent events in the history of the 9th infantry, (organized 
and taken to the field by Colonel W. W. Duffield,) to which its members 
will refer with justifiahle exultation, are its brilliant defence of Murfrees- 
boro, Tenn., on July 13, 1862, and the part borne by it in the gi'eat battle 
of Stone River, 1863. This defence of Murfreesboro was made against a 
powerful cavalry force, led by the able and notorious General N. B. For- 
rest, said to have been one of the most capable cavalry commanders in the 
rebel army. 

The Union forces at Murfreesboro at the time referred to were, on the 
morning of the attack, in the immediate command of Brigadier-General 
Thdnias L. Crittenden. Colonel Duffield, who had been fjrmerly in com- 
mand, having only returned from a leave of absence the night j^revious, had 
not assumed command, but was with his regiment, and was severely wounded 
early in the engagement. Five companies — A, C, E, G, and K — (jf the 
l>th, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Parkhurst, and numbering two 
hundred and fifty men, were at the time encamped in JNIurfreesboro. A 
JMinnesota regiment and a Kentucky battery were encamped on the cast 
bank of Stone river, a distance of more than a mile and a half from the 
camp of the 9th. These troops comprised all the Union forces in and 
around Murfreesboro. At 4 o'clock on the morning of the 13th the regi- 
ment was aroused by the camp guard, and had barely got into position 
when it was charged most furiously by over two thousand rebel cavalry. 
A desperate engagement ensued, at one time assuming the })hase of a hand- 
to-hand fight, but, after a struggle of more than half an hour's duration, 
the enemy was repulsed, broke, and fled in the wildest confusion, followed 
in close pursuit by a company of the 9lh, acting as skirmishers, under com- 
mand of (^aptain C. V. De Land. He soon after rallied, however, and 
charged a second time, but Avithout success. Perceiving the weakness of 
the Union troops, and relying upon their superior numbers, they did not 
abandon the attack, but for more than eight hours kept up irregular skir- 
mishes and assaults that were harassing and exhausting. 

Simultaneously with the attack upon the camp, company D of the regi- 
ment, in the immediate command of Lieutenant Wright, acting as provost 
guard in the town of Murfreesboro, was attacked in their quarters, in the 
Court-house, by a large force of Georgia cavalry. The company defended 
their position with desperate fighting, and held it for two and a half hours, 
killing and wounding a large number of the enemy, until the lower part of 
the building was set on fire and nearly consumed, when they were com- 
pelled to surrender. i 

jNIeanwhilc, Colonel Parkhurst had repeatedly applied to Colonel Lester, 
in command of the Mimiesota regiment, for reinforcements, but without 
success, that officer (subsequently dismissed f )r cowardice on the occasion) 
definitely refusing to aid his comrades in their desperate situati(m. 

It becoming evident that no assistance was possible, and the disparity 
between the strength of his own and the assailing forces rendering all hope 
V * 



346 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

of escape or permanent success in repelling assaults impossible, Colonel 
Parkhurst surrendered his command, which had been reduced to one 
hundred and thirty-seven men. The courage and the skill of the resist- 
ance they had encountered was acknowledged by the rebels, and their loss 
in the aiikir far exceeded that of the gallant defenders of INIurfreesboro, 
This was one of the most brilliant of the minor events of the war, and must 
be classed amongst those rare manifestations of courage truly Spai'tan, The 
loss of the regiment was Lieutenant Alpheus Chase and thirteen killed and 
seventy-eight wounded. 

Colonel Duffield, in his report of the affair at Murfreesboro, says : 

"The attack was made at daybreak on the morning of the 13th by Brig- 
adier-General N. B. Forrest, with over three thousand cavalry. A Texan 
and Georgia regiment, about eight hundred strong, attacked the detach- 
ment of the 9th Michigan. So fierce and impetuous was their attack that 
our men Avere forced nearly to the centre of their camp, falling back 
steadily and in order, with their faces to the foe. But upon reaching the 
centre of our camp, their line was brought to a halt, and after twenty min- 
utes of nearly haud-to-haud fighting, the enemy broke and fled in the 
wildest confusion," 

In the important five days' battle of Stone River the 9th, in command of 
General Parkhurst, acted as a select guard for Major-General George H. 
Thomas, and its duties were mainly those of a provost guard. On the second 
day of the fight, however, it rendered services which were vital to the Army 
of the Cumberland. The rebel charge upon the right wing, in command of 
General McCook, of Rosecrans' array, resulted in its utter defeat and rout, 
followed by demoralization which seriously threatened the safety of the en- 
tire line. The defeated troops commenced a most disorderly movement 
towards Nashville, but at the bridge over Overall's creek Col. Parkhurst 
stationed the 9th, intercepted the fugitives, rallied and reformed them in 
line, strengthened his position with artillery and cavalry, and succeeded in 
checking the rebel pursuit and in driving off" their cavalry by a series of 
skillful and daring charges. The scattered organizations were then re- 
formed, and the damage of the morning partially rei)aired. Had it not been 
for this important service the stampede of Mt-Cook's command would un- 
questionably have affected the whole army, and might have disastrously 
influenced the course of the battle and changed the complexion of the war. 
As it was it nullified many of the worst results of a serious check and paved 
the way for the triumphs of the next three days. In all its engagements 
the 9th never served the " old flag" more foithfully or effectively than on 
that wintry day when it stemmed the tide of defeat at Overall's creek and 
despoiled disaster of its worst results. The regiment l)cing still on the same 
duty at the battle of Chicamauga ])erformed most valuable service. It was 
also engaged at Mission Ridge on the 2')th of November. 

On the 3d of ]\Iay, 1864, the 9th, in command of Lieut. Col. Wm. AVil- 
kinson, marched from Chattanooga with the headcjuarters of the Army of 
the Cumberland and participated with that army in the campaign in (Joor- 
gia, l)eing present at the actions of Rocky Face Ridge, Rcsaca, Dalhis, 
Kenesaw ]\iountain, and tlie other engagements of the campaign preceding 
and including the siege of Atlanta. It also accompanied the army in the 
march around Atlanta to Jonesboro', and aided in destroying the railroad 
from that place and in the performance of other duties. It entered Atlanta 
on its evacuation by the rebel army, and was engaged in provost duty until 
that city was evacuated by our forces. The regiment then returned lo 
Chattanooga. 



THE TENTH INFANTRY. 347 

The regiment on November 1st was at JNIarietta, Georgia, en rovte from 
Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tennessee, by rail, having left the former j)lace the 
day previous. On the 0th it rcaehed Chattanooga, -where it remained in 
camp doing guard duty at the headquarters of the Army of the Cund)er- 
land, also picket duty for that post until the 27th of March, 1805, when, 
Gen. Thomas having removed his headcpiarters to Nashville, it was ordered 
to that point, and on the 29th arrived there by rail, and was assigned to 
duty guarding the military jirison, and also at General Thomas's head- 
quarters. The regiment continued at Nashville performing the same gen- 
eral service until [September 15th, when it was mustered out. 

Lieut. Charles F. Fox was killed in action at Mumiordsville, Kentucky, 
September 2d, 1802. 

THE TENTH INFANTRY. 

The 10th infantry, organized at Flint by Col. Charles M. Lum, first met 
the enemy in battle near C'orinth, INIiss. Among the most marked events 
in the histoiy of this splendid regiment were the affair at Buzzard's Roost, 
Georgia, February 25th, 1804; the battle of Jonesboro', September 1st, 
1804, and the engagement at Bentonville, March 19th and 20th, 1805. 

The regiment having rc-cnlisted as veterans at Rossville, Georgia, Feb- 
ruary 0th, the men were anxiously awaiting their veteran furloughs of thirty 
days to enable them to return to their hojiies, when, on the 2od of February, 
the emergencies of the service required a movement pf the 14th corps, to 
•which the regiment belonged, in the direction of Dalton ; and an order was 
received by Lieut. Col. Dickerson, then conunaiuling the regiment, from 
brigade headquarters to prepare for an immediate movement, Avith sixty 
rounds of ammunition and three days' rations, and at 8 A. M. on that day 
Commenced moving. After marching as far as Ilingold, fourteen miles, the 
regiment bivouacked and remained until daylight the following morning, 
and then moved through Hooker's Gap, in White Oak Ridge, coming up 
with the main force (which had moved out on the 22d) about a mile and a 
half north of Tunnell Hill, when the brigade to which the 10th belonged 
formed in line of battle on the extreme left of the army and to the left of 
the road leading to Tunnell Hill. 

The enemy lay encamped in considerable force about one mile south of 
Tunnell Hill. The brigade moved through the woods on the left of the 
town in such a directiim as to strike the enemy on his right flank, while the 
main force moved up directly in front and opened with artillery on his in- 
trenched camp. As the brigade came out of the woods in sight of the rebel 
camp their rear guard was seen moving hurriedly towards Dalton, when a 
force of cavalry w'as immediately sent in pursuit, while the 10th formed in 
column of companies and followed. About 2 P. ^I. the force came in sight 
of Buzzard's Roost, where the enemy had taken nj) a very strong position. 
The Union force formed in line of battle, when the enemy opened an artil- 
lery fire, which was immediately rej)lied to, and a line of skirmishers ke))t 
up a brisk fire. This position was held until dark, when the line fell back 
a short distance and bivouacked for the night. 

On the morning of the 25th orders were received by Colonel Dickerson to 
take a position with his regiment on the left of the 00th Illinois (which was 
in the same brigade) on the top of one of the spurs of the mountain and 
conform to the movements of tliat regiment. After occupying this position 
for a short time the regiment moved forward and took possession of tlie top 
of another spur, from which could be seen the enemy in his fortified posi- 



348 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

tion. At this time a brisk fire was being kept up by both skirmish lines. 
About 8 P. M. the division to Avhich the 10th belonged commenced a for- 
ward movement, when the enemy opened a most galling infantry fire from 
the top of Kocky Face in front, while two gr more batteries on the right 
and front threw shot and shell raking the ravines and sweeping the tops of 
the spurs. The regiment advanced coolly and steadily over the spurs and 
through the ravines until its colors were fiying defiantly almost in the face 
of the enemy. Halting just under the crest of one of these spurs the men 
were directed to lie down and load and fire at will. In consequence of the 
elevated position of the enenij'^ on the right and left his fire was most galling 
and murderous, and to which the regiment was very much exposed for 
nearly thirty minutes. Colonel Dickerson not receiving any orders, and 
seeing no troops advancing to his support, was compelled to foil back a 
short distance to a guUey, where the 60th Illinois had already reached. 
Here a halt was made for a short time and then fell back on the double- 
quick. In coming out of the ravine Col. Dickerson was knocked down by 
a mass of earth thrown against him by a shell ; partially recovering from 
the shock, and while moving towards his regiment, he was wounded in the 
heel by a musket ball, and being unable to travel fast fell into the hands 
of the enemy. The regiment lost in this affair twenty-two killed and fifty- 
six wounded. 

The loss in this gallant regiment at that time was a very peculiar and 
most severe hardship and was much regretted, as the regiment had only 
re-enlisted a few days before, and the friends of those Avho bravely fell had 
been fondly hoping to meet them on the return of the regiment to the State. 

The 10th, returning from its veteran furlough in INIichigan, arrived at 
Chattanooga May 11, 1864, and on the f )llowing day left there to jvirtici- 
pate in the Georgia campaign. It arrived at Resaca on the 16th. IMarch- 
ing on the 16th for Rome, it arrived in fi'ont of that place on the 17th, and 
on the 18th participated in its capture. On the 28th it took position in 
front of the rebel lines at Dallas. June 1st the regiment moved to the left 
toward Lost JMountain, and after several changes of position, reached the 
base of Kenesaw Mountain on the 19th. On the 27th of June it acted in 
the reserve of a column that charged the rebel lines. Its casualties during 
the month of June were two killed and died of wounds, and twelve wounded. 
On the 3d of July the regiment marched in pursuit of the enemy, who had 
evacuated the position of Kenesaw IMountain, and on the 17th crossed the 
Chattahoochie river. On the 19th it advanced to near Durant's jNIill, on 
Peach Tree creek, where it took part in the actions of that date, and of the 
day fijllovving. On the 21st it participated in a reconnoissance toward 
Atlanta, and on the 22d had position in front of that place on the right of 
our lines. With the exception of the reconnoissance to Sandtown on the 
28th the regiment remained in front of Atlanta during the remainder of 
July. Its casualties during the month were four killed and eighteen 
wounded. While on a reconnoissance on the 29th it encountered the enemy 
and captured a number of guns, horses, etc. Being cut off' by the rebels, it 
was obliged to return by a circuitous route, in which it succeeded without 
loss. 

The movement of General Sherman upon Hood's communications near 
Atlanta, which culminated in the important battle of Jonesboro', Septemlier 
1, 18(54, and the evacuatiim of Atlanta by the rel)e]s, in which the 14th 
corps took a most i)rominent part, again gave the 10th Michigan a most 
cnvial)le page in the history of the war. The regiment, under connnand of 
Major Bui'nctt, having moved with its corps on Jonesboro', was acting as a 



THE TENTH INFANTRY. 349 

support to a charging column, -wliicli became broken and clemoralized. The 
six left companies of the 10th moved quickly forward and took their places, 
bravely carried the enemy's works, took 4(30 prisoners, and captured a stand 
of colors. In this daring and gallant advance fell the brave Burnett, with 
30 killed and 47 wounded, including Lieut. John Knox killed and Captain 
H. H. Nimms mortally wounded — a heavy loss — but the regiment aided very 
materially, and with much distinction in the last battle of the great Atlanta 
campaign which secured to the Union arms one of the most important points 
held during the rebellion, and gave the death-blow to the rebel armies in 
Georgia. 

The 10th, commanded by Colonel Lum, was with Sherman on his march 
to the sea, and at Bentonville, on the 19th and 20th of March, 1865, again 
added to its already enviable reputation as a fighting regiment. Moving 
in advance of its corps on the 18th, six companies being deployed as skir- 
mishers, the enemy was reached about noon, and a severe skirmish ensued, 
when the regiment was ordered to take position at the junction of the Smith- 
field and Goldsboro' roads. During the night it was attacked, but suc- 
ceeded in repulsing the enemy, and holding its ])osition until relieved by 
the 20th cor])s on the 19th, when it marched rapidly forward and formed 
on the right of the second line of battle. About 4 P. M. the enemy moved 
up in heavy masses, driving in the skirmishers, and advancing to within a 
few rods of the first line, he discharged a terrific fire along his whole front, 
and immediately charged the works. The first line, in which w'as the 14th 
Michigan, replied with a well-directed and effective volley, checking the 
enemy's advance, and before he could recover from its effects, the 14th 
Michigan jumped over its works and charged, driving him in confusion 
from the field, and taking a large number of prisoners. The regiment, with 
the remainder of the brigade, then moved forward to the first line, and in 
a few moments, the enemy having broken through the first division, was 
discovered coming in on the left fiauk. The line was at once changed to 
the opposite side of the works, and after pouring a volley into the enemy's 
ranks, charged and drove him at the })()int of the baycmet in great confusion 
from the field, taking many prisoners, and capturing a large amount of 
arms. On the 20th the regiment skirmished with the enemy during the 
entire day and night ; and thus ended its last battle for Union and free- 
dom. 

Note. — On the 3d of January, 1863, companies A and D, while fruardinfr a supply 
train on the Murfroesboro' road, were attacked by a large torcc of <;u(>rrillhisaMd repulsed 
them, killing 15 and taking as many prisoners, witliout loss to themselves. On tiie '25th 
of January, a squad of men, guarding a construction train, were captured by 200 rebel 
cavalry. Twenty-seven men of the 10th. being on duty near, went forward on double- 
quick, routed the rebels, killing and wounding a large number, captured a lot of guns, 
horses, etc., and saved the train which had been set on fire. April 10th, a detail of 46 
men, guarding a railroad train, were attacked by three or four hundred guerrillas. 
Overpowered by numbers, they were compelled to give up the train ; but, repulsing the 
enemy's pursuit and falling back a short distance, they were reinforced by 15 men from 
a neighboring stockade, returned and saved a portion of the train, which had been set 
on fire. The loss in this affair was 8 killed and 12 wounded, including among the killed 
Lieutenant Frank M. Vanderhurg. 

First Lieut, and Adjutant Sylvester D. Cowles was killed while on the skirmish line 
at Farmington, in front of Corinth, Miss., May 26, 1862. 

At Kenesaw .Mountain, June 27th, the 10th infiintry, was in General Davis's division 
(2d) of the 14th corps, a notice of which is found in the "Annual Cyclopedia, 1864," as 
follows : " For the second and more important attack portions of General Newton's 
division of the 4th corps and of General Davis's division of the 14lh corps were selected. 
At a given signal the troops rushed forward with buoyant courage, charged up the face 



350 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

of the mountain amidst a murderous fire from a powerful battery on the summit, and 
through two lines of abatis, carried a line of riflo-pits beyond and reached tiie works. 
The colors of several of the regiments were planted before the latter, and some of the 
men succeeded in mounting the ramparts, but the deaths of Generals Wagner and Mar- 
ker, and the wounding of General iMcCook, the destructive fire of both musketry and 
artillery and the difficulty of deploying such long columns under such fire, rendered it 
necessary to recall the men. General Newton's troops returned to their original line, 
while General Davis's 2d brigade threw up works between those they had carried and 
the main line of the enemy, and there remained.' 



THE ELEVENTH INFANTRY. 

The great and important battles of Stone River and Cliicamauga will 
ahvays be referred to by tlie llth iniantry as among the most desperate in 
which it was engaged dtiring its gallant career, and in which it was most 
eminently distinguished, and lost heavily. Few regiments on those fields 
were harder pressed or defended themselves more heroically, and the mem- 
bers of the regiment refer to their services on these ocQasions with justifiable 
pride. At Stone River the regiment, commanded by Col. Wm. L. Stuugh- 
ton, was hotly engaged during the entire battle, being in Negley's division 
of Thomas's corps, which, on December 31st, held the ground near the 
centre of the Union lines, where it received and checked the onset of the 
rebel forces, which came sweeping on in column of divisions after having 
driven the corps of McCook from its position; and is acknowledged to have 
been one of the fiercest assaults of the day, and in which the enemy was 
dreadfully punished. The llth Michigan, with the 19th Illinois, charged 
in advance, and drove back an entire rebel division ; and, after the retro- 
gade movement of their own division, these regiments made another dash 
to the front, driving the enemy. In the engagement the llth lost 32 killed, 
79 wounded, and 29 missing. The noble stand taken by Negley's division, 
and its persistent fighting on that day, undoubtedly aided much in prevent- 
ing a most disastrous result. 

Colonel Stoughton in his ofiicial report of the part taken by his regiment 
in tlie engagement, says : 

" On the morning of the»31st of December heavy firing was heard to our 
right and front, and apparently rapidly approaching tlie position occupied 
by tlie 2d brigade. The regiment was immediately formed and marched 
to the brow of the hill, near brigade headquarters. The skirmishing soon 
after indicated the ap[)roach of the enemy to the right of this position, and 
my regiment was formed in line of battle, under cover of a ledge of rocks, 
about one hundred yards in this direction. The skirmishing continued 
with much spirit for nearly an liour, when a heavy roar of musketry and 
artillery announced that the principal attack of the enemy was being made 
on our left and rear. I immediately gave orders to change front on first 
company, which was promptly executed under a heavy fire, and the regi- 
ment advanced iu line of battle to the crest of the hill, from which Shovdt's 
battery had just been driven, and poured a well directed and efibctive fire 
into the advancing columns of the enemy. The firing ctmtinued with 
spirit and energy until orders came to retire. The fire of the enemy was 
apparently concentrated upon this point, and was terrific. INIen and of&- 
cers fell on every side. The regiment fell back about eighty yards, was 
again formed, and delivered its fire upon the enemy as he advanced over 
the hill, and then retired to the cover of the cedar woods in our rear. Here 
Bome confusion was at first manifested. A large number of regiments had 
fallen back to this place for shelter, and the enemy's infantry and artillery 



THE ELEVENTH INFANTRY. 351 

opened upon us from all sides, except to the left, towards the IMurfrees- 
boro i)ike. Order, liowever, was promptly restored by our division and 
brigndc commanders, and my regiment, with others, moved slowly to the 
rcnr, keeping up a steady fire upon the enemy. When nearer the cleared 
field to the right of the Murfreesboro pike, the regiment was rallied, and 
held the ground for twenty or thirty minutes ; it was then marched about 
halfway across the open field, when orders came to charge back into the 
cedars. INty regiment promptly obeyed my orders, rallied on the colors, and 
charged back into the woods with great gallantry, checking the enemy by 
the sudden and impetuous attack. After delivering one volley, orders 
came to retire, and the regiment fell back in good order to the left of the 
Murfreesboro pike. Here closed the active operations of the day. 

" On the 2d of January we were again called into action. In the after- 
noon of that day we Avere posted as a reserve, in an open field in the rear 
of our batteries on the right of the left wing of our army. Between 3 and 
4 o'clock the enemy made a heavy attack with artillery and infantry on 
our front. ]\Iy command was kept lying upon the ground, protected by a 
slight hill, for about half an hour. At the expiration of this time the 
enemy had driven back our f )rces on the opposite side of the river, one 
regiment crossing in great disorder, and rusliing through our ranks. As 
soon as the enemy came within range, my regiment with the others of this 
brigade, rose up, delivered its fire, and charged across the river. In 
passing the river my line of battle was necessarily broken, and I led the 
regiment forward to a fence on a rise of ground, and reformed the line. 
Here the firing continued for some time until the enemy was driven from 
his cover and retreated through the woods. IMy regiment was then 
promptly advanced to the edge of the woods, and continued to fire upon 
the enemy as he fled in disorder across the open field in front to his line of 
entrenchments. At this time the ammunition was nearly exhausted, and 
my regiment, with the others in advance, formed in line of battle, threw 
out skirmishers, and held our position until recalled across the river. The 
11th was among the first that crossed Stone river and assisted in capturing 
four pieces of artillery, abandoned by the enemy in his flight. I can- 
not speak too highly of the conduct of the troojis under my command. 
They fought with the bravery and coolness of veterans, and obeyed my 
commands, under the hottest fire, with the precision of the parade ground. 
Tlie officers of my command behaved with great gallantry and firmness. 
Where all nobly discharged their duty, it would, pcrha[)S, bo unjust to dis- 
criminate. Lieutenants Wilson and Flynn were killed while gallantly 
leading their companies. Major Smith and Lieutenants Hall, Briggs, and 
Howai-d were wounded, the two former severely, and Lieutenant Hall is a 
prisoner." 

At Chicamauga the regiment, in command of Lieutenant-Colonel IMelvin 
Mudge, was then in the brigade of Colonel Stoughton, being the 2d bri- 
gade, 2d division, 14th corps. This brigade constituted part of the com- 
mand of General Thomas, and on the last day of that sanguinary conflict 
held one of the most important points on his line of defence against a 
largely superior force, the regiment fighting most persistently, successfully 
repelling cliarge after charge of the enemy, losing seven killed, (including 
Captain Charles W. NcwlSern,) seventy-six wounded, and tWenty-three 
missing, and was one of the last regiments to retire from the field in the 
darkness of that fearful night, when the army fell back. Next morning 
Colonel Stoughton took up a position in front of Rossville, covering the 
approach to the battle-field, and held it during that day, and in the night 



352 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

fell back on Chattanooga, covering the rear of the retiring army. In the 
movement Colonel Stoughton drew off his artillery by hand, to escape the 
notice of the enemy. He remained on his picket line until past 4 A. M., 
■when, hearing the enemy stirring, he successfully Avithdrew his pickets 
and made a forced march to Chattanooga without the loss of a man, 
thus most successfully accomplishing a very dangerous and important duty, 
for which he was afterwards coiuplimented personally by General Thomas. 

After the battle of INIission Ridge, in November, 18G3, where the regi- 
ment, under command of Major Benjamin G. Bennett, participated in the 
decisive charge, losing its gallant commander and thirty-nine in killed and 
wounded, the regiment, being in the 2d brigade, 1st division, 14th corps, 
moved forward on the Atlanta campaign, j)artakiug creditably in all the 
important battles. On July 4th folloAving, it took a part in the successful 
charge on the enemy's works near Marietta, losing thirteen in killed and 
wounded, including among the severely wounded Colonel Stoughton, who 
lost a leg. It was engaged at Peach Tree Creek, on the 20th of that 
month, with a loss of el'even killed and wounded, and on the 7th of August 
it was in the charge on the enemy's works in front of Atlanta, losing Lieu- 
tenant Edward Catlin and fifteen men killed and wounded. 

The period for Avhich the regiment enlisted having expired, it was 
ordered to Chattanooga on the 27lh of August. The rebel General 
Wheeler being then engaged in making a raid into Tennessee, the regiment, 
immediately after its arrival at Chattanooga, on the 30th, was ordered to 
join the column in pursuit, and marched to Murfreesboro, and thence to 
Huntsville, Ala., but without meeting the enemy. It returned to Chattan- 
ooga on the loth of September. Leaving here two commissioned officers 
and one hundred and fifty men — veterans and recruits whose term had not 
expired — the regiment started for Michigan on the 18th, arriving at Stur- 
gis on the 25th. On the 30th of September it was mustered out of service. 



THE TWELFTH INFANTRY. 

The bloody battle of Shiloh, April Gth and 7th, 1862, first tried the metal 
of the 12th infantry, and substantially established its reputation as a fight- 
ing regiment. Leaving the State, in command of Col. Francis Quinu, on 
March 18th, it hurriedly reached Pittsburg Landing barely in time to par- 
ticipate in that important engagement. A portion of the regiment was 
among the troops that first discovered and engaged the enemy in his ad- 
vance upon the Uniim lines, and this timely discovery and their persistent 
opposition to his advance, without doubt, saved their division from entire 
capture, and must have done much towards saving the whole army from a 
complete surprise. The 12th was in Col. Peabody's brigade of Prentiss' 
division, which occupied the position just attacked by the rebel forces. 
During the night preceding the battle of the Gth, Col. Peabody had been 
advised by Lieut. Col. Graves, of the Pith Michigan, of the approach of 
the enemy, and on this information he took the responsibility to order from 
his brigade two companies of the Pith Michigan, commanded respectively 
by Captains Graves and Cravath, and two companies of the 25th I\Iissouri 
as a reconnoissance, the whole under command of Major Powell, 25th ]\Iis- 
souri, who, a])out 3 o'clock on the mm'ning of the Gth, met the advance 
troops of the cnomy and f)ught them until daylight, gradually fiilling back 
until he reached the Pith jMichigan and 25th ^lissouri, which had advanced 
some distance in front of their color line. These two regiments fought the 



THE TWELFTH INFANTRY. 353 

enemy until overpowered, Avhen they fell back to their color line, reformed 
again, and defended their line until again overpowered, when they retired 
to a tiiird position, whicli was held until the division was completely sur- 
rounded and a large piu'tion of it made prisoners. The 12tli escaped cap- 
ture, maintaining its organization, and next day engaged the enemy, losing 
in both days 266 killed, wounded, and missing, including among the mor- 
tally wounded Lieutenant Alex. G. Davis, who died at Cincinnati on the 
21st of Ai)ril following. 

It also participated in the affair at luka September 19th, and in the bat- 
tle at ]\[etamora October 5th. 

The regiment, in December following, was guarding the Mississippi rail- 
road from Hickory Valley to near Bolivar, Tennessee, Avith its headquarters 
at Middleburg. On the 24th of that month the force at Middleburg, con- 
sisting of one hundred and fifteen officers and men, in command of Colonel 
AV. H. Graves, were attacked by a large force of Van D()rn's cavalry, con- 
sisting of three brigades, in all about three thousand strong, by which they 
were surrounded and their surrender demanded. About 10 o'clock on the 
morning of the day of the attack Lieut. Col. Dwight May, of the regiment, 
left IMiddleburg for Bolivar, distant some seven miles, and when about two 
miles from IMiddleburg he saw horsemen approaching; as he neared them 
he observed that they wore the blue overcoat of our army, but noticing the 
peculiar gait of their horses and their suspicious movements, he halted and 
was adjusting his field glass to scrutinize them more closely, when the ad- 
vance guard fired at him and put their horses to their utuKjst speed towards 
him ; they were then only about twenty rods off. lie innnediately wheeled 
his horse and started for camp, they in pursuit, discharging their arms at 
him during the chase, but having the better horse he succeeded in reaching 
the camp of his regiment and instantly reported the circumstances to Col. 
Graves, who in his report states: 

" The advance of Gen. Van Dorn's command soon made its appearance, 
and a flag of truce was sent in by a lieutenant colonel of staff, which I met. 
The officer asked who is in command ; I answered ' I am ;' whereupon he sur- 
veyed me from head to foot (I had been playing ball that morning, pants 
in boots, having on a jacket without straps) with a disdainful air and said : 
'Gen. Van Dorn demands a surrender of you and the whole damned thing 
immediately ; we don't want to bother with you.' It was my intention to 
have asked if he had artillery, but his important demeanor did not set well 
as may l)e imagined, and I upon the spur of the moment replied, give my 
compliments to the general and say to him, I have no doubt he can whip 
us, but Avhile he is getting a meal we will try and get a mouthful ; he then 
remarked, ' that is what you say, is it?' To which I made answer, that is 
what I say, is it; and he wheeled, put spurs to his horse, and I double- 
quicked to my command, which was located in a depot platform, with planks 
doubled and port-holes cut, and a block or rather log-house having ])ort- 
holes. The enemy advanced until I fired a musket, (which was the signal 
when my men were to fire,) when the enemy broke up in confusion and 
sought log buildings and ditches, where they fought us for two hours and 
twenty-five minutes, and finally left us ' mouarchs of all we surveyed,' in 
one sense. 

"The whole force of Gen. Van Dorn was between five and six thousand, 
about one-half of which f )Ught us, the balance holding the horses. They 
lost (as near as I can recollect) lo5 killed, wounded, and prisoners, among 
the latter three officers wounded, one mortally. There were six of my men 
wounded through the port-holes, one killed, and thirteen taken prisoners, 
W 



354 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

mostly on picket along the railroad. Over one thousand rounds were fired 
by the men of the 12th during the action." 

For this gallant and successful defence of Middleburg, so remarkable for 
the disparity in numbers, the regiment (Avith several others along that line 
of railroad that had successfully defended their posts) was complimented 
for bravery by General Grant in general orders, and declared by him to be 
deserving of the thanks of the army, which was in a measure dependent for 
its supplies on the road they so nobly defended. 

Embarking on transports at Memphis to take part in the campaign 
against Vicksburg the regiment arrived at Chickasaw Bayou, near the rebel 
stronghold, on the 3d of June. Disembarking at Sartalia, on the Yazoo 
river, the regiment marched to IMechanicsburg, skirmishing on the march 
with the rebel cavalry. From thence it proceeded to Hayne's Blufi'by an 
exhausting march, during which a number of men fell under the oppressive 
heat. The regiment remained at Hayne's and Snyder's Bluffs until the 
fall of Vicksburg, July 4th. It embarked on the 28th, in command of 
Lieut. Col. May, for Helena, Ark., near which it encamped until the 13th 
of August, when it marched from Helena with the army, and on the 11th 
of September went into camp near Little Rock. On the 26th and 27th of 
October the regiment moved to Benton, Ark. The Tith continued on duty 
in Arkansas, in command of Col. May, until the 15th of February, 1865, 
when it was mustered out of service. 



THE THIRTEENTH INFANTRY, 

The daring bravery of the 13th infantry, raised and organized by Col. 
Charles E. Stuart, of Kalamazoo, is attested by its persistent fighting and 
splendid achievements on many fields. 

This regiment left Kalamazoo on the 12th of February, 1862, under com- 
mand of Col. Michael Shoemaker. Its route was through Kentucky and 
Tennessee via Bowling Green and Nashville. It reached the battle-field at 
Pittsburg Landing, after a f )rccd march, near the close of the second day's 
fight, anil thenceforward, until the evacuation of Corinth, was engaged in 
picket and fatigue duty with the f )rces that captured that post. The 13th 
was the last of General Buell's command to leave northeastern Alabama on 
the withdrawal of our forces from that region in August, and was among 
the troops of the same army which fell back upon Louisville. 

On the 10th of November, 1862, this regiment marched from Silver 
Springs, Tenn., and formed part of the forces that drove the enemy from 
Lebanon. Proceeding to Nashville, it was then engaged in guarding forage 
trains, and on picket duty, from the'25th of November to the 26th of De- 
cember, when it marched with the army under General Rosecrans on Mur- 
freesboro'. It was deployed as skirmishers on the 29th in the advance, and 
suffered some loss. It participated in the bloody engagements at Stone River, 
on the 30th and 31st of December, and 1st, 2d, and 3d of January, the 
regiment going into action with 224 muskets, and losing out of this number 
25 killed or died of wounds, 62 wounded, and 8 missing. On the olst of 
December it recaptured, by a bayonet charge, two guns which had fallen 
into the hands of the enemy. 

The 13th was particularly distinguished at Stone River, under Colonel 
Shoemaker, and at Chicamauga, under the ccmimand of Col. J. B. Culver. 

In a recent report, C'ol. Culver says : " They will always be remembered 
with priile and sorrow by every member of the 13th. Pride, in the acknow- 



THE THIRTEENTH INFANTRY. 355 

ledged gallantry of the regiment, and sorrow, for our brave comrades wlio 
fell there." lie pays further: "At the battle of Stone River, the loth sup- 
ported the Gth Ohio Independent Battery ; and early on the morning of 
the memorable 31st of Deeember, 18G2, our brigade was detailed by verbal 
orders of General Koseerans, and directed to go to the sui)port of General 
R. W. Johns(Mi, of INIeCook's corps, who was on the extreme right of the 
line, and was being forced back by overwhelming numbers of the enemy. 
The order was promptly executed, and while getting into position we were 
attacked by the advancing columns of the rebel General Hanson's division, 
which we stubbornly resisted for fifteen or twenty minutes, when three of 
the regiments of the brigade retired in disorder, leaving the loth to protect 
the battery. Our position was in a cotton-field, without protection. AV^e 
fell back about 300 yards to the edge of a cedar thicket, formed on the left 
of the battery, and delivered such a destructive fire that an entire brigade 
of the enemy were held in check for over thirty minutes ; but we were again 
compelled to retire, losing o)ie-//n'rfZ of tlie entire regiment dead or wounded, 
together with two guns from the battery. We reformed again about LoO 
yards to the rear of the second position, and being opportunely supported 
by the gallant 51st Illinois infantry, we made a dashing charge with the 
bayonet, broke and routed the rebel line, recaptured the two guns, took 150 
prisoners, and defeated the purposes of the enemy on this part of the field, 
namely, getting possession of the Murfreesboro' pike. On this field the 
13th lost Captain Clement C. Webb. 

Colonel Shoemaker, in his report of the part taken by his regiment in that 
great struggle, says : 

" JNIy report of the 5th having been made in great haste, was necessarily 
very brief, and for the better understanding of the movements of this regi- 
ment during the several days of battle, commencing on the 29th and 
ending on the 3d instant, submit the following: — In the evening of the 
2yth, when ordered to cross the river, we were on the left, the 51st Indiana 
in the centre, and the 73d Indiana on the right. ]\Iy regiment commenced 
crossing as soon as our skirmishers were fairly on the other side. The skir- 
mishers were company A, commanded by Lieut. Hanarsdale, and company 
F, commanded by Lieut. James R. Slay ton. They drove the enemy rapidly, 
the regiment following quite close upon them. When in line in the corn- 
field, after receiving the 3d volley from the enemy, we were ordered to fix 
bayonets and jirepare to receive a charge of cavalry. As my regiment was 
somewhat in advance of the 51st Indiana, and my right covering their left, 
I moved my regiment to the left and rear, so as to connect with the 51st 
Indiana, but still leaving my left somewhat in advance, and in such a posi- 
tion as would have enabled us to enfilade any force which might charge the 
centre. Our positi(ni was now a very strong one, being in the edge of the 
woods. Here we remained until ordered to recross the river. On the 31st, 
being in reserve, when our brigade was ])laced in position on the extreme 
right of the army, we occupied an open field in the rear of where the 04th 
and G5th regiments of Ohio volunteers, and 73d regiment of Indiana volun- 
teers, were engaged with the enemy. When the battery retired we were 
ordered to fall back to the position we held when tlie enemy advanced upon 
us. When they opened fire upon us the other regiments of the brigade had 
passed by on our light to the rear, and we did not see them again until 
after the close of the engagement. INty reginient was in line (luring the 
engagement, and delivered their fire with such i)recisiou and rapidity that 
the wlu)le force of the enemy were brought to a stand at the fence in our 
front, and held there for at least twenty minutes, when their left, which 



356 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

extended considerably beyond our right, having advanced so as to make it 
apparent that they would soon turn my right flank, I gave the order to 
retire; but again formed the regiment within twelve or fifteen rods of the 
first line; but broke and retreated precipitately when charged by me. 
The 51st Indiana advanced only to within three rods of our first line, and 
then threw forward skirmishers. My regiment charged past the first line 
and to the right, down to near the fence, and full thirty rods in advance of 
our first position, overtaking and capturing the enemy from the place where 
the guns v/ere recaptured, Avhich was to the right and in front of our first line 
of battle, to the houses in our front, and into the cornfield on a line with 
the houses. The artillery ceased firing a short time before we opened upon 
the enemy, and fell back out of sight, with all but the guns captured. The 
enemy broke up the guns of the dead on the first line of battle while they 
occupied it. A lieutenant, whom we captured, informed me that our fire 
was very destructive, and that their loss in wounded must lai'gely exceed 
ours. On the 1st inst., my regiment was exposed to a scattering fire all day, 
but was not actually engaged. At night we were ordered to the extreme 
front to protect the 6th Ohio battery, and lay on our arms all night. On 
the 2d inst., while supporting our battery, my regiment was exposed to a 
terrible fire from the artillery of the enemy, the number of guns ])laying 
upon us at one time being, as stated by Capt. Bradley, eighteen. Though 
necessarily inactive, my regiment steadily maintained its position for over 
an hour, when one of our batteries commenced playing upon us from the 
rear. I then withdrew my regiment a few rods to the left to a less exposed 
situation. In the afternoon we crossed Stone's river with our division, and 
remained there, doing duty both Friday and Saturday night. On Sunday 
morning we recrossed the river and bivouacked near the hospitals." 

Colonel Harker, commanding the brigade in which the loth was serving, 
in his report says of the regiment at Stone river : 

"The 13th Alichigan, from their position, fired upon the enemy with 
telling effect, and having caused his ranks to waver,'fi)llowe(l up the advan- 
tage with a charge, su})ported by the 51st Illinois, which had come to our 
relief. They completely routed the enemy. The l-'lth JMichigan retook 
the two pieces of artillery abandoned by our battery, and captured fifty- 
eight prisoners. For this act of gallantry Colonel Shoemaker and his gal- 
lant regiment are deserving of much praise." 

The gallant service of tliis regiment at Stone River, on December 31st, 
cannot be over-estimated, as it was pre-eminently prominent among the 
brave regiments that breasted the fearful current of disaster which was 
sweeping away the Federal right, fighting desperately in turning the tide 
of affairs in favor of the Union army, and during the following days of 
that great conflict never wavered in any position assigned it, and when the 
roll of the regiment was called at the close of the five days of this san- 
guinary strife, all answered to their names except the dead and wounded. 

In the fearful struggle at Chicamauga this noble regiment, under com- 
mand of Colonel J. B. Culver, displayed again its brilliant fighting quali- 
ties in the efficient service rendered on the LSth of September, while 
deployed as skirmishers, near Lee and (lordon's IMills, hdlding a position 
until 12 M., on the 19t]i, against a strong line of the enemy's skirmishers, 
.supported by a section of artillery. On the IDth it rejoined its brigade and 
division some distance to the left of the ^lills, executing the movement 
under a heavy fire of the enemy, on the double-cpiick, with the thermometer 
at ninety degrees above. Soon after the regiment charged in a handsome 
and gallant manner, checking the onset of the rebels, who were forcing 



THE FOURTEEN^TH INFANTRY. 357 

back a part of the brigade. In tliis charge it lost heavily, including among 
the killed Captains D. B. Husnier and Clark 1). Fox, and Lieutenant 
Charles D. Hall; all fell while nobly battling with treason and rebellion. 
In the engagement the regiment went in with 217 officers and men, and 
lost 14 killed, G8 wounded, (of whom 11 died,) and 25 missing. 

This regiment wiis serving in Georgia on the 1st of November, 1864, and 
on the 3d was at Tilton, when it received orders to proceed to Romeo, where 
it remained until the 7th, when it joined the army of General Shennan, at 
Kingston, and was assigned to 2d brigade, 1st division, 14th corps, and 
formed a part of the general army that "marched down to the sea." The 
regiment, with its brigade, reached Savannah on the IGth of December, 
and was on duty in the trenches before that city until the 21st, when the 
enemy evacuated the place. On January 17th, 18G5, the regiment moved 
forward with the army on the march through the Carolinas, and was 
engaged at Catawba River, S. C, February 29th, and at Averysboro, N. 
C, March 16th, and again at Bentonville on the I'Jth, where it fought the 
enemy the entire day, sustaining a loss of 110 killed, wounded, and missing. 
Amongst the killed was its commanding officer, Colonel W. G. EaUm. 
Pending the negotiati(ms attending the surrender of Johnston's army, the 
regiment was stationed on the Cape Fear river, twenty -six miles south of 
Raleigh, and on the 30th of April it started, with the army, homeward, 
reaching Richmond on the 7th of May, and Washington on the 19th, and 
on the 24th participated in the grand review of General Sherman's army 
at the National Capital. 

Note. — Greeley, in "The American Conflict," says of the battle of Stone River: 
"Bradley's Glh Ohio Battery at one lime lost two of its guns; but they were subse- 
quently recaptured by the 13th Michigan." There was connected with the recapture 
of these guns an incident worth recording of Julius Lillie, Orderly Sergeant of Company 
E. Marker's brigade, except the I3th Michigan, had been driven off the tield with 
heavy loss; Bradley's Glh Ohio Battery, attaclied to this brigade, retreated with a loss 
of two guns. The 13th Michigan, left alone, had nobly maintained their position until 
they had lost over one-third of their number, and were al)0nt beiug surrounded. Col. 
Shoemaker then ordered them to retire, but, after moving them a few rods through 
quite a dense undergrowth, he reformed them and ordered them to charge the advanc- 
ing enemy, which they did, every man shouting and yelling like so many born devils. 
The rebels, ten times their numl)er, not l)eing able to see their strength for the inter- 
vening thicket, and supposing they had fallen into an ambuscade, broke and tied. The 
IBih pursued them entirely off the ground, over an open space, into a woods full half a 
mile from the place of the fight. The rebels tired as they retreated, but were so closely 
pursued they had no opportunity to form, and the 13th took over fifty prisoners, be- 
sides recapturing the two guns belonging to Bradley's battery. As the regiment, every 
man on the full run, approached the guns, several men sprung forward to be the first 
to reach them, but Sergeant Julius Ldlie outstripped all competitors, and as he reached 
them slapped his hand on one of the guns ; at that moment a shot from one of the re- 
treating rebels struck him in the right side, and, probably Irom the position in which 
he was standing, passing along without cutting the inner coating of his intestines, came 
out about eight inches from its entrance, causing of course an ugly wound. This was 
on the afternoon of Wednesday, the 31st day of December, and although the regiment 
was under fire every hour of daylight from this lime until Saturday night, and slept 
every night on their arms on the battle field, yet Lillie refused to leave his command 
and go to the hospital, but remained with his regiment during the whole period and 
would only allow himself ti^be relieved from duty after the enemy had evacuated Mur- 
freesboro and victory was assured to our forces. 

THE FOURTEENTH INFANTRY. 

The 14th regiment moved from Ypsilauti on the 17th of April, 1862, in 
command of Colonel Robert P. Sinclair, of Grand Rapids, under whose 



358 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

direction it had been recruited, and joined the Western army at Pittsburg 
Landing, Tenu. It "svas under Pope in the advance on Corinth, and uas 
engaged in repeated skirmishes with the enemy while in front of that 
stronghold. In November and December of that year it was statidned at 
Stone river, in command of Lieutenant-Colonel M. W. Quackenbush. On 
the 3d of January following it participated in the great battle at that 
point, having marched from Nashville during the night previous, through 
mud and rain, a distance of thirty miles. 

On the 21st of May, 1864, the regiment Avas ordered to proceed to 
Bridgeport, Ala., and thence moved by forced marches to Dallas, Ga., 
"where, joining the army under General Sherman on the 4th of June, the 
regiment participated in all the active movements of the campaign until 
the tall of Atlanta. It was engaged at Kenesaw Mountain on the 15th of 
June, and on the 5th and 6th of July it charged and drove the rebels 
from their rifle-pits at the Chattahoochie river, capturing a number of pris- 
oners. Its casualties in the latter engagement were 9 killed and 35 wounded. 
On the 7th of August the regiment assisted in taking two lines of rebel 
works, and driving the enemy from the field, killing and wounding a num- 
ber, and taking 92 prisoners, suffering a loss of 8 killed and 27 wounded. 
In this affair Lieutenant Joseph Kirk was mortally wounded and died 
next day. 

The battle of Jonesboro, Ga., on September 1, 1864 — the last of Sher- 
man's great and brilliant operations around Atlanta, when he opened the 
gate of his great highway to the sea — and the important engagement at 
Bentonville, N. C, on the 19th and 20th of March, 1865— his last contest 
with the enemy on that remarkable and unequalled cam[)aign which aston- 
ished the world — were the fields on which the 14th infantry gained much 
of its enviable reputation, by very prominently distinguishing itself in 
glorious achievements which added much to the success of these important 
affairs. The regiment was in the 14th corps, so conspicuously engaged at 
Jonesboro, and during that bloody conflict, while in command of Col. Henry 
R. Mizner, this gallant Michigan regiment charged the enemy with great 
enthusiasm, at fixed bayonets, first at quick, and then at double-quick, and 
without firing a gun or raising a shout carried tlie rebel works in its front, 
filled with the enemy, capturing Sweet's rebel battery of four 12-pounder 
Napoleon guns, shooting and bayoneting the artillerists at their guns, in the 
act of firing, and taking as prisoner General D. C. Govan, who surren- 
dered his command to Sergeant Patrick Irwin, the first man inside the 
works. Govan had in his possession the sword of Major Cooledge, 16th U. 
S. infantry, who fell at Chicaraauga. In the command surrendered were 
Captain Williams, A. A. A. G., Major Weeks, 2d Arkansas infantry, and 
three hundi'ed enlisted men. During the charge the colors of the 1st 
Arkansas infantry were captured by Lieutenant Weatherspoon and Ser- 
geant Smith, of company A, who killed one of the color-guard while in the 
act of firing up!)n Weatherspoon. Gaining the works, the colors of the 
regiment were gallantly planted on them by Sergeant Steiner, and were 
among the first placed on that rebel stronghold. After passing the first 
line of works, a second four-gun battery was captured, when one of the 
guns was instantly turned upon the fleeing enemy by Lieutenant Giffbrd, 
and a fire delivered with telling effect. 

On November 1st the regiment, in command of Lieut.-Colonel George 
W. Grummond, broke camp at Uomc, Ga., and commenced the grand 
march to Savannah, moving via Kingston and Atlanta, and thence through 
Milledgeville, destroying many miles of railroad ; reaching Savannah ou 



THE FOURTEENTn INFANTRY. 359 

the 16th, it lay in front of that city until the 21st, when the enemy 
evacuated the place. At that point the regiment remained until January 
20th following, when it moved forward with the army, on the march through 
the Carolinas, reaching Sister's Ferry on the 28th, where it remained ten 
days, assisting in repairing the roads on the opposite side of the Savannah 
river, wJiich had become impassable. Having crossed the river on the 
evening of February 6th, the march through South Carolina was commenced 
on the 8th. Moving on what is called the Augusta road, and proceeding 
onward, crossed the Salkehatchie, South and North Edisto, Broad, Catawba, 
and Big Pedce rivers, arriving at Fayetteville, N. C, March 10th, the regi- 
ment having lost on the march down to that time twenty-two men, captured 
while foraging. Reaching Cape Fear river, it crossed on the Tith, the 
enemy's rear-guard picketing along a small stream, about one mile distant, 
over which there was a high bridge, the plank of Avhich had been removed 
by the enemy. On approaching that poiut it was found to be held on the 
opp(Jsite side by two regiments of cavalry. The 14th Michigan Avas ordered 
to push forward and drive the enemy from his position, and establish his 
line one mile in advance. The night being very dark, the men were obliged 
to cross in single file on the timbers. They pushed across very ra])i(lly, 
however, and engaged the enemy, driving him over two miles, capturing 
his camp and a large quantity of forage, killing one and taking two })ris- 
oners. The regiment established its line, .and remained there until the 14th, 
when it was relieved by the advance of the 1st division. On the morning 
of the 15th the march was resumed. Skirmishing with the enemy was 
kept up the entire day, and until 10 o'clock next morning, when he made 
a decided stand near Avcrysboro, and a severe battle ensued. The 1st 
brigade, 2d division, of which the 14th ^Michigan formed a part, Avas ordered 
immediately to the front, and placed on the extreme left of the line, having 
to cross a deep and wide ravine in getting into position. The brigade was 
formed in two lines, the 17th New York and 14th Michigan composing the 
first line, and the 10th Michigan and 60th Illinois the second. The first, 
advancing under a severe fire, gallantly carried the first line of the enemy's 
works, taking a number of prisoners, but the enemy, becoming heavily re- 
inforced, and after repeated attempts to carry the position, strongly sup- 
ported by the second line, the men behaving exceedingly well, it was f )und 
impossible to dislodge him, the brigade holding its position until next 
morning, when the enemy abandoned his work, the regiment losing in the 
engagement twenty-two killed and wounded, including two officers wounded. 

At Bentonville on the 19th and 20th of ^larch, 1865, the regiment, then 
in command of Lieut. Col. George AV. (jrummond, was fiercely assaulted in 
hurriedly constructed works by a largely superior f )rce, which it success- 
fully repulsed, and then most gallantly charging over its own works cap- 
tured most of the assaulting party ; and soon afterwards, on ascertaining 
that a flanking force of the rebels had taken possession, of the works the re- 
giment had but just left, it was instantly faced by the rear rank, charged, 
and retook the works at the point of the bayonet. During these charges the 
regiment took 19 officers and 390 enlisted men prisoners, together with the 
colors of the 54th Virginia and 05th North Carolina r<>gimonts. The loss 
of the 14th in this engagement was 23 in killed and wounded and 4 in 
prisoners. 

The successes of the 14th on these occasions were among the most glorious 
in the Sherman campaigns, illustrating most forcibly the heroism of the 
regiment and placing it squarely up to the high standard of Michigan 
troops. 



360 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

THE FIFTEENTH INFANTRY. 

The 15th, in command of Col. J. M. Oliver, by whom it was organized, 
first met the rebels at Shiloh on the 6th and 7th of April, 1862. Arriving 
there only the day before the battle, it next morning became hotly engaged, 
and was thus early initiated into the sad realities of war, and at a great 
sacrifice, losiug in the engagements of both days two officers and thirty-one 
men killed and one officer and sixty-three privates wounded and seven miss- 
ing. Capt. George A. Strong and Lieut. Malvin W. Dresser, two officers 
of much merit, being among the killed of the 6th. After the affiiir at Shi- 
loh the regiment composed a part of the force under Gen. Halleck which 
compelled the rebels to abandon Corinth. The 15th was in General Rose- 
craus' army when his position at Corinth was assaulted by the rebel forces 
under Price in October, 1862. At that time the regiment, under command 
of Lieut. Col. McDermott, held the outpost of that army atChewalla, onthe 
Memphis and Charleston railroad, and about ten miles from Corinth, where 
it met and checked the advance of Price, and most signally made its mark 
as a most reliable and brave regiment. On the morning of the 1st of Oc- 
tober the pickets of the 15th were driven in, the regiment holding the ene- 
my in check during the day ; in the evening was reinforced by the 14th 
Wisconsin and a section of a 12-pounder battery, the whole force in com- 
mand of Colonel J. INI. Oliver, of the 15th Michigan. The command fought 
duriug the 2d and 3d against overwhelming numbers, contesting every inch 
of ground, but falling back gradually upon Corinth, several times being 
completely flanked and obliged to retire on the double-quick, with the en- 
emy on both flanks. It is claimed that the admirable disposition made by 
Col. Oliver of his force and the steadiness and gallantry of the men engaged 
delayed an army of 40,000 (or thereabout) at least twenty-four hours in 
making their main and final attack upon Corinth, thus enabling General 
Rosecrans to make the disposition of his forces which most successfully se- 
cured the repulse of the enemy and compelled him to make a most disas- 
trous retreat. 

November 2d, 1802, the 15th was ordered Avith its division to move from 
Corinth, where it had been stationed, to Wolf Creek. From that i)oint the 
regiment proceeded to Grand Junction November 19th, to serve as garrison 
and j)rovost guard. It was also employed while at Grand Junction in 
guarding the IMemphis and Charleston railroad and in scouting after guer- 
illas. The regiment remained at Grand Junction and at La Grange until 
June 5th, 1803, when it was ordered to Vicksburg, Miss., with the 1st divi- 
sion, 16th corps, to which it had been attached since January 1st. Arriv- 
ing at the moutli of tlie Yazoo, June 11th, the loth proceeded up the river 
and disembarked at Ilayne's Bluff. Having been attached temporarily to 
the Oth corps, it participated with it in the advance on Jackson on the 4th 
of July. The Big Black river was crossed on the 6th (this regiment lead- 
ing) on rafts and by swimming, and until the arrival of the national forces 
bef )re Jackson the regiment v/as engaged in skirmishing with the rebels. 
It participated in the movements of the 9th corps until the enemy were 
driven across the Pearl river on the 17th. On the 23d it began its uiarc^i 
back to the Big Black. It was here attached to the 2d brigade, 4tli divi- 
sion, 15th army cor[)s. The 15th corps having been ordered to reinforce 
the Army of the Cumberland, the regiment arrived at Memphis, Tenn., 
October 8th, and at Corinth, j\Iiss., on the 17th. On the following day it 
proceeded to luka, where it remained until October 25th, and on the 1st of 
November it arrived at Florence, Ala. 



THE FIFTEENTH INFANTRY. 361 

On the 4th of May, 1864, the 15th arrived at Chattanooga from ]\Iichi- 
gan, Avhcre it had been on veteran furlough. Being encamped at Kossville, 
near that point, it moved to participate in the Georgia campaign, taking 
part in the engagements that occurred during tlie movement on Ivcsaca. 
On the 17th the command marched to Dalhis via Adairsville. Entrench- 
ing it remained in its works, with occasicmal skirmishing, until the 1st of 
June, when it moved to near New Hope Church, and on the 5th to Ack- 
worth. On the 10th the regiment marched to Big Hhanty, and on the 15th 
moved to the right of the line, and with its brigade su])ported a force Avliich 
attacked and drove the enemy from their works. ^larching on the 19th, 
command moved to the right of the railroad facing Kenesaw I\Iountain, 
where it remained un il the 25th. Moving to Marietta on the Bd of July, 
the regiment marched thence on the 4th, and on the 8th arrived at Nick- 
ajack creek and entrenched in view of the enemy's works. ^larching via 
Marietta to Kossville, the regiment crossed to the south side of the Cliatta- 
hoochie river on the 14th. On the 17th it moved to Cross Keys, and on the 
18th marched toward Decatur, going into line of battle, though not l)ecom- 
ing engaged. On the 2Uth it moved forward via Decatur several miles, and 
on that and the following day engaged in skirmishing with the enemy. 

On the 21st the regiment, in command of Lieut. Col. F, S. Hutchinson, 
became eminently distinguished, rendering most gallant and valuable ser- 
vice. Early on the morning of that day the rebels attacked in flank and 
rear the 17th corps, which was on the left hf the 15th corps, driving it back 
with much loss. About 1 o'clock the 15th ]\Iichigan was ordered to fill a 
gap on the extreme left of its corps, about one mile distant from the ])osition 
it then occupied. The regiment moved on the double-quick, and upon 
coming into line near the position indicated found it in possession of the 
enemy ; it, however, moved gallantly forward in line, striking the enemy 
upon the Hank, driving him from his position, taking 17 officers and 167 
men as prisoners and capturing the colors of the 5th Confederate infantry, 
and also the colore of the 17th and 18th Texas, (consolidated,) and suffering 
a loss of four killed and six wounded. This was the advance of two rebel 
divisious which were massed in a wood but a short distance in the rear. 
The })romptitude with which the movement was executed by the 15tli de- 
terred the remainder of the rebel force from making a forward movement, 
and thus prevented the enemy from breaking our lines, and probably averted 
disaster from that part of the field. 

On the 27th f)llo\ving the regiment proceeded to the extreme right of the 
army. While advancing in line on the 28th the enemy attacked and were 
driven off with heavy loss, their dead and wounded being left on the field. 
The casualties in the regiment during the action were SS wounded. 

During the remainder of the month and until the 26th of August the re- 
giment was engaged in the trenches before Atlanta, skirmishing almost 
daily with the rebel troops. On the 28th it moved on the Atlanta and 
Montgomery railroad, which, on the following day, it assisted in destroying. 
On the .'5Ulh the regiment nuirched to the enst side of Flint river, near Jones- 
boro', and entrenched. An assault made by the enemy on the olst was 
repelled with heavy loss. On the 1st of September the skirmishers advanced 
and captured a numberof prisoners at Jonesboro'. ISIoved forward to Love- 
joy's (Station on the 2d, the regiment entrenched and there remained until 
the 5th, having continued skirmishing with the enemy. On the 6th the 
command withdrew to Jonesboro'. On the 8th it proceeded to East Point, 
where it remained during the month. Leaving East Point on the 4tli of 
October the regiment marched, via Marietta, Altoona, Kingston, Rome, 
W * 



362 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Calhoun, Resaca, Snake Creek Gap, Lafayette, Summersville, and Gales- 
ville, in Georj^ia, and Little River, King's Hill, Cedar Bluff, and Cave 
Springs, in Alabama, and participated in the skirmishes and engagements 
that occurred during the pursuit of the rebel army under Hood in Northern 
Georgia and Alabama, the regiment marching during this month two hun- 
dred miles. 

On November 1st, 1864, it left Cave Springs, Ala., in the 3d brigade, 2d 
division, 15th corps, moving via ]\Iariotta and Powder Springs, Georgia, to 
Atlanta, and soon after commenced the march with Gen. Sherman's army 
to Savannah and thence to Washington, having been engaged with the 
enemy at various points on that remarkable march. 

Captain Charles H. Barnaby was killed in action before Atlanta August 
13, 1865. 

THE SIXTEENTH INFANTRY. 

The 16th was raised and organized during the summer of 1861 by Col. 
T. B. W. Stockton, and for sometime was known as "Stockton's Indepen- 
dent Regiment," afterwards as the 16th Michigan infantry, which accounts 
for its having so high a numerical designation. This regiment commenced 
its battles with the siege of Yorktown in April, 1862, and ended them at 
Appomattox Court-house in April, 1865, having passed through the various 
campaigns of the Army of the Potomac with much credit and a glorious 
celebrity, serving during the whole war in the 3d brigade, 1st division, 5th 
corps. 

Among its various battles none perhaps appear more prominent in its 
history than Gaines' ]\Iill and Peeble's Farm. In the former engagement, 
on the 27th of Juno, 1862, the 3d brigade was commanded by Col. Stock- 
ton, and in the early part of the day the 16th lay in reserve, and was held 
in that position under a heavy fire from the enemy's works on the Rich- 
mond side of the Chicahominy, and the rebel lines in front and left, until 
about 2 P. ]\I., wlien the rebels made a desperate advance in several columns 
deep upon the Federal lines. The 16th was ordered to the front to assist 
in repelling the attack, and went in gallantly on the double-quick under a 
very destructive fire from the rebel batteries, driving the enemy in its front 
back to his former position. The regiment then formed in the brigade line 
on the extreme left of the corps, holding the position under constant lighting 
until about 5 P. M., losing heavily. About this time the enemy massed ou 
their right and opposite the front of the brigade, and threw column after 
column in, causing the troops on the right to break, whereupon the 16th 
was ordered to fall back to the river; but not thinking of "retreat," faced 
about and stood its ground until overwiielmed by numbers and compelled 
to retreat to the river. Here the gallant ]Maj(u- N. E. Welch, in conunand 
of the regiment, and his brave olKcers rallied their men, and with strag- 
glers from other regiments, numbering in all about 1,000, again charged 
over dead and dying comrades, until their line met "Jackson's corps," and 
where, within short range, the rebels opened upon the whole line with fear- 
ful effect, mowing the men down like grass, compelling the brigade to fall 
back, the 16th losing three officers and forty-six men killed, six officers and 
one hundred and ten enlisted men wounded, and two officers and fifty-three 
enlisted men missing. Among the killed were Captain Thomas C. Carr 
and Lieutenants Bynm McGraw and Richard Williams, oflicers of much 
promise and courage. The few that were left succeeded in reaching the 
opposite side of the Chicahominy, leaving Col. Stockton, who from exliaus- 



THE SIXTEENTH INFANTRY. . 363 

tion and the loss of his horse, which had been shot under him, and Captains 
Mott and Fisher, together ^Yith Surgeon Wixom, prisoners in the hands of 
the enemy. 

Tiie regiment was engaged at Malvern Hill July 1st, with a loss of forty- 
two in killed, wounded, and missing. In August following it joined Pope's 
army at Fredericksburg, and fought at Bull Kun on the oOth of that month, 
sustaining a loss of three officers and thirteen men killed, four officers and 
fifty-nine men wounded, with seventeen missing. Captain R. W. Ransom, 
Lieutenants Michael Chittick and John Ruby were the officers killed. 

Leaving Harper's Ferry on the 1st of November, 1862, this regiment 
arrived at Falmouth on the 23d. Crossing the Rappahannock on the Tith 
of December, it participated with the Army of the Potomac in the battle 
of Fredericksburg, losing three killed, twenty wounded, and eight missing. 
The regiment crossed the Rappahannock and the Rapidan, and from the 
2d to the 5th of May, 1863, was engaged at the battle of Chancellorsville, 
with a loss of one killed and six wounded. Marching with the army in 
June, on the 21st it was engaged in the battle of Middleburg, commanded 
by Col. N. E. Welch, capturing from the enemy a piece of artillery and 
nineteen officers and men, with a loss on the part of the regiment of nine 
w-ounded, including Captain Judd M. Mott (mortally) who died June 28th 
following. 

The 16th, by a series of forced marches, arrived at Gettysburg, Penn., 
on the 1st of July, and on the 2d, 3d, and 4th, it participated in the battles 
of that place, sustaining a loss of three officers and twenty-one men killed, 
two officers and thirty-four men wounded, and two men missing. Lieuts. 
Brown, Jewett, and Borden were among the killed. July 5th, the regiment 
engaged in the pursuit of the enemy, arriving at Williamsport, Md., on the 
11th. It crossed the Potomac at Berlin on the 17th, and on the 23d was 
at the battle of Wapping Heights, though not actually engaged. Partici- 
])ating in the movements of the army in October, on the lOtli it ci'ossed the 
Rappahannock, recrossed on the llth, and as skii-mishers advanced to 
Brandy Heights, but did not become engaged. Falling back with the 
arniy, on the 23d it marched to Auburn. 

In November the regiment was encamped on the Orange and Alexandria 
railroad, and on the 7th again moved forward with the army, and during 
the movement to the Rai^pahannock it participated in the capture of the 
enemy's works on the left bank of that stream, losing three in wounded. 
On the 26th it was in the advance on Mine Run. 

Engaging in the campaign of 1864, on the 4th of May the regiment 
crossed the Rapidan at Geritfania Ford, in command of ]\Iajor R. T, 
Elliott. On the 5th it was detailed to guard the wagon train at Wyckoff 
Ford. On the 6th and 7th the regiment participate(i in the battle of the 
Wilderness, without loss on the 6th, but on the second day losing thirty-five 
in killed and wounded. On the morning of the 8th the regiment proceeded 
by a forced march to Spottsylvania Court-house. During the evening of 
the 8th, while attempting to pass an almost impassable swamp, a portion 
of the regiment was attacked, the enemy making an attempt to capture 
that portion engaged, but the rebels were thrown into confusion by its fire, 
during which a charge was made and a rebel colonel and a large number 
of men were taken prisoners. The loss to the regiment was small, and was 
mainly in prisoners, who were subsequently recaptured by our cavalry. 
The regiment remained in the neighborhood of the Spottsylvania Court- 
house until the 21st, when it moved with its corps toward the North Anna 
river. On the morning of the 22d, while acting as advance guard for its 



364 HISTORY OP MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

corps, the regiment encountered the rear guard of the enemy near Polecat 
creek. Four companies Avere deployed as skirmishers, who, advancing, 
drove the enemy from their position, and captured a large number of pris- 
oners. On the 24th it forded the North Anna river. The enemy having 
attacked and caused a portion of the line to retire, the 16th, with other 
forces, was ordered to regain possession of the ground. The movement, 
although made under a very heavy fire, was successful, the enemy being 
driven back with great loss. On the 24th the regiment moved to a point 
on the Virginia Central railroad, and on the 25th to near Little river. Re- 
crossing the North Anna on the 26th and 27th, it proceeded by forced 
marches toward the Pamunkey river, wdiich it crossed at Hanovertown on 
the morning of the 28th, and went into line of battle on the South creek, 
throwing up a line of breastworks. On the following morning the regi- 
ment moved to near Tolopotamy creek. On the 30th it again moved for- 
ward. During the afternoon, the army having become engaged, the 
regiment was ordered into position on the left of the line. Though exposed 
in an open field to a raking fire, the men stood their ground with great 
pertinacity, protecting themselves by throwing up earthworks with their 
hands, bayonets, and tin plates. Major Elliott, while leading the regiment, 
■was here killed, when Captain George H. Swan assumed command. The 
enemy were finally driven back, and the regiment held the ground during 
the night. On the 1st of June the 16th drove the enemy from the rifle- 
pits, which it succeeded in holding against all efforts to retake them. On 
the 2d, 3d, and 4th, the 16th was engaged in the vicinity of Bethesda 
Church. On the 5th it moved to near Cold Harbor, and on the 6th to Dis- 
patch Station. June 13th, while in command of Captain Guy Fuller, it 
crossed the Chicahominy at Long Bridge, en route for the James river, 
which it crossed on the 16tli, arriving in front of Petersburg on the f )llow-- 
ing day. From this time to the 15t]i of August, when it was placed in 
reserve, the regiment was employed in the trenches in front of Petersburg. 
It participated in the movement, on the 18th of August, on the Wcldon 
railroad, and remained in this vicinity, constructing and occupying a por- 
tion of the line of defences, until the 30th of September. 

At Peeble's Farm, or Poplar Grove Church, the regiment also became 
most signally distinguished. At 3 o'clock A. M., September 30, 1804, the 
5th corps moved to the left, until it reached near an old church in the 
■woods, where sharp skirmishing began. The 3d brigade was got into line 
for a charge — the 83d Pennsylvania, temporarily in command of INIajor 
B. F. Partridge, of the 16th INIichigan; 32d Massachusetts, commanded 
by Colonel Edmunds, and the 16th Michigan, commanded by the lamented 
Welch, advancing on the works on Peeble's Farm, the 16th IMicliigau 
having the centre, striking the angle of the fort first, climbing the works, 
and engaging the enemy in a hand to hand fight for some time, while the 
other regiments came in on the right and left, and thus carried the works, 
taking all the rebels who defended them, and capturing the guns, but 
losing in the 16th Michigan ten killed and forty-two wounded, including 
the commander, Colonc^ N. E. AVelch, who was instantly killed while 
going over the enemy's works, sword in hand, leading on his regiment in 
that dashing cliarge. 

Major Partridge received a bullet through his neck and two other 
wounds while gallantly leading the 83d Pennsylvania to the attack on the 
■works. 

During the months of October'and November the regiment lay in the 
trenches near Poplar Grove Church, Va., and in December accompanied 



THE SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY. 365 

its corps on the raid to Bellfiekl, where it assisted in destroying about six- 
teen miles of raihx)ad. It was in the trenches before Petersburg during the 
month of January, 1865, and on February Gth and 7th, in command of 
Cohjnel Partridge, was engaged witii tlie enemy at the battle of Dabney's 
Mills, or Hatcher's Eun, where it lost heavily ; on March 25th at Platcher's 
Run ; at White Oak Swamp on the 29th, at Quaker Road on the olst, and 
at Five Forks on Ajiril 1st, and, following Lee's army until its surrender, on 
the 5th it was engaged with the enemy at Amelia Court-house, on the Gth at 
High Bridge, and at Appomattox Court-house on the Dth, thus participating 
in the last day's fighting of the gallant Army of the Potomac. 

Note. — At the battle of Fredericksburg in December, 18G2, after fighting nil day and 
part of the night, the troops lay down on their arms and were soon asleep. The ammu- 
nition wagon of a Michigan regiment coming up. the mules hungry and thirsty, being 
halted near the sleeping place of the Colonel, gave one or more of their peculiar howls, 
which suddenly awoke the Colonel, who, much provoked at being thus so unceremoni- 
ously disturbed, and in his bewildered condition thinking that the noise was made by 
the musicians of the regiment, called to his Adjutant to "put these damned buglers under 
arrest and send them to the rear ; they will jeopardize the safely of the whole army." 

John Steele, a private in Company K, 16th Michigan, having his right arm shot off at 
Middlcburg, Capt. Hill said to him, a few minutes after : " John, you cannot carry a 
musket any more." John replied, with tears in bis eyes : " No, Captain, but I can car- 
ry the colors, can't I ?" 

While the IGth Michigan was engaged at Cold Harbor, a Maryland regiment broke 
while under fire, and when falling back was checked and he'd by the IGth. The Colonel 
of the regiment struggled to rally it, but without success, when he hurriedly advanced 
to Col. Partridge, and, with tears streaming down his manly face, exclaimed : "Colonel, 
would to God that I commanded a Michigan regiment !" He had hardly said these 
words when a rifle bullet passed through his body killing him instantly. 

THE SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY. 

The 17th Michigan, the gallant and celebrated "Stonewall" regiment of 
"Wilcox's division, 9th corps, was organized, drilled, and disciplined at De- 
troit Barracks by General James E. Pittman, late Inspector General of 
Michigan. A short time before it left the State Colonel W. H. Withington 
was commissioned as its colonel, and it went to the field under his command 
August 27th, 1862, going immediately into the IMaryland campaign under 
McClellan. In a little more than two weeks after leaving the State Col. 
Withington and his regiment met the enemy in the sanguinary and import- 
ant action of South Mountain. On the evening of the 18tlt of September 
the regiment marched from Frederick City, Svhere it had bivouacked the 
night i)cfore, with the rest of the 9th corps. It marched out on the National 
Turnpike in the direction of South IMountain, and about midnight rested for 
a few hours not many miles from IMiddletown. Before daybreak on the 
morning of the 14th Middlctown was passed, and the base of the mountain 
reached about 9 A. M. The enemy was found in force on each side of a 
gap, holding each crest of the mountain, and strongly posted behind the 
stone fences and other available shelter, with their batteries in commanding 
positions enfilading the main road. The regiment was ordered to move off 
the main road and advance up the Sharp.^burg road. This movement was 
executed by the regiment in common with the rest of Wilcox's division, 
which had ])roceeded far up the road toward the crest of the mountain, and 
moving to the support of a sectimi of Cooke's battery, which had been sent 
up the mountain to open on the enemy's guns on the right of the gap, was 
about to deploy, when the rebels suddenly opened at two hundred yards 
with a battery throwing shot and shell, killing several in the regiment and 



366 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

driving back the battery, the cannoneers, with their horses and limbers, 
rushing through the dense ranks, causing a temporary panic among some 
of the troops that might have resulted in the loss of the guns had the enemy 
taken advantage of it. The 17th promptly changed front under a heavy 
fire of shot and shell and moved out with tlie 79th New York to protect the 
battery, and lay in line of battle until nearly 4 o'clock P. M. exposed to a 
severe fire from Drayton's brigade of South Carolina infantry in the imme- 
diate front, without being able to reply to it, and having grown impatient 
of delay and anxious to advance, the order to charge upon the enemy was 
received with enthusiastic cheers. The regiment, being on the extreme 
right of Wilcox's division, moved rapidly forward through an open field 
upon the enemy's position under a storm of lead from the stone fences in 
front and from the batteries on the right, with cheer after cheer sent up in 
defiant answer to the rebel " yell," the 17th most daringly advanced to 
within easy musket range without firing a shot, when it opened a murderous 
fire upon the enemy, which was kept up for a short time, steadily advanc- 
ing, the extreme right of the regiment swinging round and getting an enfi- 
lading fire upon the rebels entrenched behind the stone walls. Unable to 
stand this destructive fire they broke in confusion, the left of the regiment 
gallantly charging over the Avails with shouts of triumph, pursuing the flee- 
ing remnants of Drayton's brigade over the crest and far down the slope 
of the mountain, gaining and holding the key-point of the battle. The 
splendid conduct and extraordinary services of the 17th in this action gave 
the regiment at the time much celebrity, and has since been given in his- 
tory as among the most brilliant achievements of the war. The 17th suf- 
fered severely, losing Lieut. George Galligan and 26 men killed and 114 
wounded. 

In a recent account given by Col. F. W. Swift, then a captain, of the part 
taken by his regiment in that battle, he says : 

" Our men having been so long exposed to the fire of the enemy, without 
being able to reply, had grown impatient at the delay, and the order to move 
forward and charge upon the enemy was received with shouts of enthusiasm. 
We moved out from our sheltered position through an open field and upon 
the enemy's position, exposed to a storm of lead from behind the stone fences 
in front and from the enemy's batteries on the right. Our regiment was on 
the right of the division, which was composed mostly of old troops, and our 
men moved upon the enemy as if jealous of the laurels their veteran coad- 
jutors might win. AVith cheer after cheer, sent up in defiant answer to the 
rebel 'yell,' they advanced to within easy musket shot, when they opened a 
murderous fire upon the enemy, which was kept up for some time, the regi- 
ment steadily advancing, and the extreme right of the regiment swinging 
around and getting an enfilading fire upon the rebels entrenched behind the 
two stone walls on the left of the road. Unable to stand this murderous 
fire the enemy broke in dismay, the left of the regiment charging with shouts 
of triumph over the walls and pursuing the remnant of Drayton's brigade 
over the crest and far down the slope of the mountain, thus gaining and 
holding the key-point of the battle." 

Three days afterwards, at Antietam, it was again in battle, sustaining a 
further loss of eiglitoen killed and eighty-seven wounded. The next day it 
was in the front skirmishing with the retreating enemy, and had one man 
killed. 

On the 19th of March, 1863, the 9th corps, then stationed in Kentucky, 
was ordered to reinforce General Grant in Mississippi, and the regiment, in 
command of Col. C. Luce, left with it to engage in that campaign, and par- 



THE SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY. 367 

ticipated in the advance on Jackson by Gen. Sherman, engaging the enemy 
on the 11th of June with li<;ht h).s.s. 

After the campaign in Mississippi the corps returned to Kentucky and 
engaged in the movements of the Army of the Ohio in East Tennessee in 
September and October following. 

With its division it moved from Knoxville to Blue Springs, but did not 
participate in tiie engagement at that place. Returning to Knoxville on 
the 14th of October, it marched iVom thence on the 20tl), and proceeded via 
Loudon to Lenoir. The regiment remained at that point until November 
14th, I860, when it marched to the Tennessee river, below Loudon, to op- 
pose the advance of the rebels under Longstreet, then moving on Knoxville. 
It lay under arms during the night, and on the following morning com- 
menced falling back, closely followed by the rebel forces. It continued to 
retreat on the IGth with its corps, its brigade moving in the rear of the army 
and the regiment acting as the rear guard. "NVhiJe crossing Turkey creek, 
near ('ani[)heirs Station, the enemy attacked in f )rce, and a severe engage- 
ment ensued. In this action the loss of the regiment was seven killed, nine- 
teen wounded, and ten missing. During the night of the IGth the regiment 
moved with the army to Knoxville, assisting actively in the defence of that 
town while besieged by the enemy. On the 20th of November the regiment 
charged the enemy's line and destroyed sevei'al houses that were occupied 
by rebel sharp-shooters. Lieut. Josiali Billingsly aud one man were killed 
by the enemy's shells while the regiment w»as returning to the trenches. On 
the 24th Lieut. Ct>l. Loreu L. Comstock, then in couuuand of the regiment, 
Avas killed. On the night of the 28th the skirmish line of the regiment was 
driven in and sixteen men were captured by the rebels. 

Returning to Virginia and Avith its corps joining the Army of the Poto- 
mac and engaging in the great campaign of 18G4, it crossed the Rapidau at 
Germania Ford on the 5th of May, and on the Gth encountered the enemy 
at the Wilderness, losing seven killed and thirty-nine wounded. On the 
8th the regiment moved via Chancellorsville towards Spottsylvania. On 
the morning of the 9th the division of General "Wilcox, to which the regi- 
ment belonged, moved upon the enemy in the vicinity of Spottsylvania 
Court-house and found him in force, occupying a commanding position on 
the Ny river. The 2(1 brigade was ordered to cross the river and feel for 
the enemy. Romer's New York battery being brought into position opened 
fire; the 17th, commanded by Col. C. Luce, was temporarily detached from 
the 1st brigade to support it. Meanwhile the 1st and 2d brigades, having 
become engaged, found the enemy in superior force, and two regiments had 
been repulsed with considerable loss from a very important and command- 
ing position, leaving many of their wounded on the field. The 2d brigade, 
which was on the extreme right of the division, being left in great danger 
of being flanked and cut off, its commander sent back to division headquar- 
ters f>r reinforcements, the 17th was ordered to a^lvance for that purpose; 
the order was promptly obeyed, and the regiment bravely crossed the stream 
on double-quick, and advanced rapidly up the road to the position held by 
the 2d brigade and firmed on its left. 

It was soon ascertained that the enemy, who it seems had retired from 
the crest of the hill from which they had repulsed our troops, were again 
advancing in force for the double purpose of gaining the crest and flanking 
the division; and it became necessary for the brigade to check the advance 
instantly, and a movement was immediately commenced for that purpose. 
The 17th, commanded by Col. F. W. Swift, making a half wheel, advanced 
at double-quick up the hill and occupied the crest just as a brigade of rebel 



368 HISTORY OP MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

troops were advancing up the other slope. The regiment promptly opened 
a well-directed volley upon them, doing great execution, and in si)ite of the 
frantic efforts of their officers they broke and fled in great disorder, leaving 
many of their dead and wounded, thus securing by this well-timed and 
rapid movement a very impfll'tant position, which the regiment held and 
fortified, thereby saving the dead and wounded of our troops, which had 
been repulsed in the first attack, from foiling into the hands of the enemy, 
and at the same time relieving the 2d brigade from its perilous position, and 
which was handsomely acknowledged by Col. Christ commanding. 

In the engagement, out of 225 the regiment lost 23 killed, 73 wounded, 
and 93 as prisoners. Among the killed were Captain John S. Vreeland 
and Lieutenant Alfred E. Canfield. 

During the attack of the rebels on Fort Steadman in the line of works 
before Petersburg, on March 25, 1865, the regiment was advanced as skir- 
mishers, and succeeded in repelling those of the enemy, taking sixty-five 
prisoners, the regiment losing one killed and two wounded. 

General Wilcox, in his report of the part taken by the 1st division, 9th 
corps, at South Mountain, says of the 17tli IMichigan in that engage- 
ment: 

" I planted a section of Cook's battery near the turn of the road (Sharps- 
burg) and opened fire on the enemy's battery across the main pike. After 
a few good shots the enemy unmasked a battery on his left, over Shiver's 
Gap, from a small field enveloped by woods. He threw canister and shell, 
and drove Cook's cannoneers and drivers doAvn the road with their limbers ; 
Cook gallantly remained with his guns. [Cook here lost one man killed, 
four wounded, and two horses killed.] The attack was so sudden, the whole 
division being under fire — a flank fire — that a temporary panic ensued until 
I caused the 79th New York, Lieutenant Colonel Morrison, and 17th IMichi- 
gan, Colonel AVithiugton, on the extreme left, to draw across the road facing 
the enemy, who were so close that we expected a charge, to take Cook's 
battery. The 79th and 17th here deserve credit for their coolness and firm- 
ness in rallying and changing front under a heavy fire. 

" I received orders from Generals Reno and McClellan to silence the 
enemy's batteries at all hazards. Sent picket report to Reno, and was 
making disposition to charge — moving 17th Michigan so as to cross the 
hollow and flank the enemy's guns — when the enemy charged out of the 
woods on their side, directly upon our front, in a long heavy line, extending 
beyond our left to Cox's right. I instantly gave the command, 'Forward!' 
and we met them near the foot of the hill, the 45th Pennsylvania in front. 
The 17th Michigan rushed down into the hollow, faced to the left, leaped 
over a stone fence, and took them in flank. Some of the supporting regi- 
ments, over the slope of the hill, fired over the heads of those in front, and 
after a severe contest of some minutes, the enemy were repulsed, followed 
by our troops to the opposite slope and woods, forming their own position. 

"The 17th Michigan, Col. Withington, performed a feat that may vie 
•with any recorded in the annals of war, and set an example to the oldest 
troops. 

" This regiment had not been organized a single month, and was com- 
posed of raw levies." 

In General McClellan's report the regiment is spoken of as follows : 
"General Wilcox praises very highly the conduct of the 17th IMichigan 
in this advance, a regiment which had been organized scarcely a month, 
but which charged the enemy's flank in a manner worthy of veteran 
troops." 



THE EIGHTEENTH IXFANTRY. 369 

The New York press at the time made tlie folhnving comment on the 
part taken by the 17th at South Mountain : 

"The enemy, as usual, souglit every advantage, particuLarly that of 
numerous stone fences, behind which they assaik?d our men fiercely. But 
the ini|>etuous cliarges of some of our regiments, particularly that of the 
ITth ^lichigan, but two Aveeks from liome, carried everything before it, and 
the (lead bodies of the enemy on that mountain crest hiy thick enough for 
stepping-stones. The greatest slaughter at this j^oint was among General 
Drayton's brigade, composed mainly of South Carolinians and some Geor- 
gians. Nearly the whole of this brigade was either killed, wounded, or 
captured." 

Extract from the re]>ort of Captain F. AY. Swift, covering operations of 
his regiment on NovendK'r IGth, 20th, and 25th, 1863: 

"On the 16th we marched for Knoxville. Our regiment being detached 
as rear guard, was attacked by the enemy's advance guard about half-past 
9 A. ]M., near Campbell's Station, and after severe fighting through the day, 
we retired during the night to Knoxville. Lieut. A. P. Stevens was mor- 
tally wounded, and died at Knoxville December 11th following. 

"On (he night of the 20th the regiment was ordered to burn a house 
occupied by the enemy's sharpshootei's. This was done successfully ; but 
while returning to camp, Lieut. Josiah Billingsly was killed by a she^l from 
one of the enemy's guns. 

"On the 25th a n)usket ball from the ene^my's skirmish line struck Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Comstock, wounding him so severely that he died the same 
evening." 

THE EIGHTEENTH INFANTRY. 

In the summer of 1864 the 18th INIichigan, a regiment composed of as 
fine and intelligent a body of men as went to the field during the entire 
war, Avas known wherever it served as one of the best disciplined, as well 
as one of the most reliable in the service. 

Its rendezvous was at Hillsdale, and for the purpose of organization the 
camp was placed in charge of lion. Henry Waldron. On tlie 4th of Sep- 
tember the regiment left Hillsdale, in connnand of Colonel Charles C. 
Doolittle, under orders to report at Cincinnati. 

On the 1st of November, 1862, this regiment was stationed at Lexing- 
ton, Ky., and remained at that point until February 21, 1863, when it 
marched toward Danville, arriving on the 22d. On the 24th, with the 
forces under General Carter, it retreated from Danville to the Kentucky 
river, skirmishing with the rebels under General Pegram during the re- 
treat. On the 28th the regiment joined in the pursuit of Pegram, f )l]ow- 
ing the rebels as far as Buck Creek, making a long and rapid march, jiartly 
over a rough, mountainous road. On April 2d it returned to Stanford. 
On the 7th it was ordered to Lebanon, and thence proceeded by railroad 
to Nashville, arriving at Nashville April 14th. 

The regiment was stationed at this point, doing provost guard duty, until 
the 11th of June, 1864. On the 12th it arrived at Decatur, Ala., where 
it formed part of the garrison. On the 28th it made part of a force which 
surprised the camp of Paterson's brigade of rebel cavalry, at Pond Springs, 
Ala., ca})turiug all their camp equipage, wagons, ambulances, and com- 
missary stores, with some prisoners. On the 25th of July the regiment 
assisted in routing the same rebel brigade at Cortland, Ala. In both of 
these expeditions the regiment was iu the advance, and was the only in- 
X 



370 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

fantry engaged. On the 1st of September it left Decatur to reinforce the 
garrison at Athens, Ahi., against a threatened attack by General Wheeler, 
then engaged in a raid through Tennessee, It arrived in Athens just in 
time to prevent the command of the rebel General Roddy from entering 
and pillaging the town. The regiment remained at Athens until the 8th, 
when it joined Colonel Streight's brigade, of General Steadman's command, 
then in pursuit of Wheeler, and marched to Shoal Creek, within seven 
miles of Florence, Ala. Being in the advance, it here overtook and skir- 
mished with Wheeler's rear guard. The pursuit being abandoned, the 
regiment returned to camp at Decatur, September 11th. 

On the 24th of September following a detachment of the regiment, con- 
sisting of two hundred and thirty-one officers and men, under Captain 
Weatherhead, of the 18th, with a detail of one hundred and fifty men from 
the 102d Ohio, the whole commanded by Colonel Elliott, of that regi- 
ment, left Decatur to reinforce the garrison of Athens against an attack 
from the forces under the rebel General Forrest. When within two miles 
of that place, they were met by a force of the enemy, since ascertained to 
be about four thousand strong. They fought their way through in the 
most gallant manner, and, after five hours of hard fighting, during which 
they had expended all their ammunition, and having got within sight of 
the fort, found it in possession of the enemy, it having been surrendered 
but a short time before, and being overwhelmed by the superior force of 
the enemy, they were compelled to give up the contest. Only one officer 
and seventeen men escaped ; the others were either killed, wounded, or 
captured. The determined fighting and gallant conduct of these detach- 
ments is acknowledged not to have been excelled by any troops during 
tlie war. 

At the time of the advance of General Hood's army upon Nashville in 
1864, the regiment formed a part of the garrison of Decatur, the whole 
force of the post being in command of Colonel Doolittle, and on the 26th, 
27th, 28th, and 29th of October, the 18th in command of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Hulbard, participated in the defence of that post against tlie rebel 
army of Tennessee, estimated variously at thirty or forty thousand, under 
General Hood. The place was ably and gallantly defended and the assault 
most bravely repelled by Colonel Doolittle, with his small force, having on 
the first day only fifteen hundred men, on the second twenty-five hundred, 
and five thousand on the last day. During the attack, Captain Moore, of 
the 18th, with about fifty men, was sent out to dislodge a line of the 
enemy's sharp-shooters, who had established themselves in the rifle-juts, 
within three hundred yards of our works. This movement was executed in 
fine style, undor a galling fire from the enemy's main line, which was not 
over five hundred yards distant, Captain Moore driving them from their 
cover and bringing in five officers and one hundred and fifteen men as pris- 
oners. This brilliant ex])loit of Captain ]\Ioore and his men has probably 
not been surpassed for daring bravery throughout the war. On tlie^e occa- 
sions the 18th was most signally distinguished, and while faithfully illus- 
trating the reliable and superior fighting qualities of the regiment, they 
will also be recognized as prominent affairs in its history. 

On the 1st of November, 1864, this regiment was in garrison at Decatur, 
Ala., where it remained until the 2oth, when the evacuation of the line of 
the Memphis and Charleston railroad, from Decatur to Stevenson, was 
commenced. Then it left Decatur, marching along the line of that 
railroad to Stevenson, a distance of eighty miles, reaching that point 
December 2d, where it was employed building fortifications until the 19th. 



THE NINETEENTH INFANTRY. 371 

when it was ordercfl back to Decatur, via tlie Tennessee river. On the 23d 
the regiment was hmdcd at Whitesboro, and marched to Iluntsville, to aid 
in repelling a threatened attack by Forrest, and on the 24th returned to 
Whitesboro and re-embarked for Decatur, arriving there on the 28th. It 
remained at that point, doing garrison duty, until the 11th of January, 
1865, when it proceeded by rail to Huntsville, and was there engaged on 
post duty. On June 20th the regiment was ordered to Nashville for muster 
out. 

THE NINETEENTH INFANTRY. 

The 19th was raised in the counties of Branch, St. Joseph, Cass, Berrien, 
Kalamazoo, Van Buren, and Allegan. Its camp was at Dowagiac, and 
was commanded by Colonel Henry C. Gilbert, who went into the fiehl as 
colonel of the regiment, and nobly met his death for his country while 
leading his regiment upon a rebel battery at Kesaca. 

It broke camp at Dowagiac on the 14th of September, 1862, and took its 
route to Cincinnati, and thence to Nicholasville, Ivy. 

On the 1st of January, 1863, this regiment was stationed at Danville, 
and belonged to the Army of Kentucky. This army, having been trans- 
ferred to the Department of the Cumberland as a " reserve corps," the I'Jth 
moved with its brigade to Nashville, where it arrived February 7th, ])ro- 
ceeding thence to Franklin. On the 4th of jNIarch, with 600 cavalry and 
200 additional infantry, it took part with its brigade in a reconnoissance ia 
force. After a march of four miles, skirmishing commenced with the enemy's 
scouts and advanced pickets, but the rebels retiring, the brigade encamped, 
the 19th having lost in the skirmish one wounded. The march having been 
resumed on the f )llo\ving day, the enemy were met in force at Spring Hill, 
near Thompson's Station. It was then serving in Colonel Coburn's brigade, 
of General Baird's division. Army of Kentucky. 

On March 4th the brigade, composed of the 33d and 85th Indiana, 22d 
Wisconsin, and 19th j\Iichigan, numbering in all about 1,587 men, strength- 
ened by 200 of the 124th Ohio, with detachments of three regiments of 
cavalry, about 600 strong, and one battery of six guns, left Franklin to 
make a reconnoissance in f )rce on the Columbia pike. About f>ur miles 
out, the scouts and advance pickets of the enemy were met, when sharp 
skirmishing commenced, in which the 19th participated with slight loss. 
In the skirmish the enemy was driven back, with a loss of fifteen killed and 
wounded. INIoving forward, he was again encountered at a short distance, 
but night coming on, the f )rce went into camp. 

Early on the morning of the 5th the march was resumed, leaving the 
124th Ohii^ in charge of the wagon train. After marching about two miles 
tlie cavalry met the enemy's pickets, and a heavy skirmish was continued^ 
until the command came in sight of Thompson's Station, the enemy falling 
back. Advancing a short distance, and where the railroad joins the pike, 
the enemy opened fire with a heavy battery. Colonel Coburn immediately 
formed his line, and ordered a section of the battery to occupy a hill on the 
left of the ])ike, sending the 19th ^lichigan and 22d Wisconsin to support 
it. The 3.3d and 85th Indiana, with the other guns of the battery, took 
position on a hill on the right. The enemy had two batterie.s on a range 
of hills three-quarters of a mile in front, and south of the position occuj)ied 
by the Union troops. The 33d and 85th Indiana made a demonstration on 
tlie left of the enemy to draw him out, or charge his batteries, according to 
circumstances. This was commenced and continued under a most galling 



372 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

fire from the enemy's batteries. Upon reaching the station, the skii-mishers 
unmasked two whole brigades of dismounted rebel cavalry posted behind 
Btone walls and other defences. It being impossible to advance farther 
under the incessant and severe fire, the regiments were ordered to retire to 
their former position on the hill, supported by two companies of cavalry ; 
but for some reason or other the cavalry did not accompany them. No 
sooner had the two regiments commenced to fall back than they were pur- 
sued by two rebel regiments, one from Arkansas and the other a Texan, 
both firing rapid volleys into the retiring ranks, and at the same time were 
under fire from the rebel batteries. As soon as they reached the hill they 
faced about and drove the enemy in turn in double-quick, killing Colonel 
Earle, of Arkansas. The rebels again rallied, and charged desperately, 
but were driven. It then became evident that Colonel Coburn had encoun- 
tered the entire cavalry of Bragg's army, commanded by General Van 
Dorn, about 18,000 strong, in six brigades, under the command of Generals 
Forrest, Wheeler, French, Armstrong, Jackson, Martin, and Crosby. 

The rebels then advanced upon the left, where were posted the 19th 
Michigan and 22d Wisconsin. These regiments opened fire upon the enemy 
and held him in check for some twenty minutes. At the time the left was 
first attacked, that portion of the battery there stationed, hurriedly left that 
part of the field without orders, leaving the two regiments without artillery 
to assist them in repelling the enemy, then charging desperately. At the 
same time Lieut. Col. Bloodgood, of the 22d Wisconsin, with three com- 
panies of that regiment, left the field without orders, moving off* by the left 
flank, and joining the retreati-ng cavalry and artillery. Forrest checked 
in his advance, made a circuit with his whole force, beyond the ground 
occupied by Coburn, to the east, Avith the intention to turn his left flank. 
The 19th and 22d was then moved on the west side of the pike, leaving 
the 33d and 85th to protect the hill on its south face. The four regiments 
had scarcely formed line, lying down behind the crest of the hill, when 
Armstrong's brigade charged from the east and the Texans from the south, 
■when a severe ccmtest ensued, and the fighting became terrific. Three times 
the rebels gallantly charged up the hill from the east, and thrice were they 
forced back. In one of their charges the 19th INIichigan captured the 
colors of the 4th Mississippi and four prisoners. The fighting was close 
and desperate. Tlie enemy having gained possession of the hill on the east 
of the road, were hurling grape and canister into the ranks like hail, and 
the battle raged furiously. But it was a hopeless struggle ; defeat was only 
a question of time. The ammunition was getting short, and Forrest getting 
between them and Fraidclin was advancing from the north. A new line 
was formed by Coburn's force, facing north, to meet the new line of advance. 
Forrest was nu^t and held in check until the last round of ammunition was 
fired. The gallant and brave little band then fixed bayonets to charge and 
break the enemy's lines, and escape; l)at just as they were about to charge 
it was discovered that the enemy had still another line in reserve, and a 
battery began to open and f trni a new position. Escape was hopeless, and 
to avoid useless loss of life, the command surrendered, having lost 113 in 
killed and wounded out of 512 who went into action. 

Colonel Gilbert had his horse shot luider him in the early part of the 
engagement, and behaved most gallantly. When he offered his sword to 
the Confederate commander, he declined to receive it, saying, that " an 
officer who was so brave in battle, and commanded so gallant a regiment, 
deserved to retain his arms." 

During Sherman's advance upon Atlanta the 19th was in the 1st brigade. 



THE NINETEENTH INFANTRY. 373 

4th division, 20th corps, and at Resaca, IMay loth, 1864, became conspicu- 
ously and desperately engaged, when, with the brigade, it gallantly charged 
a four-gun battery, captured the artillery, and heltl the pt;sition. In this 
charge Colonel Gilbert, conunanding the regiment, was mortally wounded 
while leading and urging on his men, and died at Chattanooga on the 24th 
of that month. In the same engagement Capt. C. H. Calmer was killed at 
the nuizzle of a gun while leading his company in the charge; while the 
loss in the regiment was 14 killed and 66 wounded. On the IDth the regi- 
ment, in command of Major E. A. Griffin, charged into Cassvillc and assisted 
in driving out the enemy, losing one in killed, f )ur wounded, and capturing 
four guns. It again engaged at Kew lIo})e Church on the 25th of i\Iay, 
where it sustained a loss of five in killed and forty-seven Avoundcd, includ- 
ing among the killed Lieut. Charles Maudeville and among the wounded 
Cajjt. Charles W. BigeloAV, who died on the 29th of his wounds. On the 
15th of June it was again engaged at Golgotha, losing four killed and nine 
wounded, and at Gulp's Farm June 22d, where its casualties were thirteen 
wounded. Among the severely wounded was Major Griffin, who died of his 
wounds next day. Following up the rebel army after its evacuation of the 
position at Kenesaw ^lountain and crossing the Chattahoochic, the regi- 
ment, under the command of Major John J. Baker, participated in the 
repulse of the fierce attack of the enemy on our lines at Peach Tree Creek 
on the 20th July. The loss of the regiment in this battle was four killed, 
with IMajor Baker, and thirty-five wounded". 

During the siege of Atlanta, from July 22d to August 25th, the regiment, 
in command of Ca])t. David Anderson, constructed several strong lines of 
works, but, although under the fire of artillery and sharp-shooters, did not 
participate in any of the engagements that took plfice. Its loss during the 
siege was two killed and six wounded. The regiment did not take part in 
the flank movement to the south of Atlanta, but falling backwnth its corps, 
took ])osition at Tanner's Ferry, on the Chattahoochie river, where it re- 
mained until the 2d of September. At this date the greater ))ortion of the 
regiment, with a force under Col. Coburn, of its brigade, made a reconnois- 
sance toward Atlanta. This f )rce advanced to the city limits, and finding 
it evacuated by the enemy, excepting by a few cavalry, took possession. 
On the following day the remainder of the regiment entered the city with 
its cori)s. 

The 19th formed part of Sherman's army on that remarka})le march from 
Atlanta to the sea, participating in the numerous engagements of its corps 
with credit and distinction. 

At the battle of Averysboro', N. C, on March 16, 1865, the regiment 
bore a brilliant part, acquitting itself with its usual bravery and vigor. 
Colonel David Anderson, then in command of the 19th, in a recent report, 
says : 

" On the 16th of March the enemy was met near Averysboro', and a bat- 
tle ensued, in which the regiment, then in the 2d brigade, 3d division, 20th 
corps, took an active and important i)art. The brigade to which the regi- 
ment was attached being ordered to assault the enemy's works, the order 
was gallantly and promptly obeyed, resulting in the taking of the works, 
the regiment capturing two pieces of artillery and many prisoners. In this 
assault we lost two brave officers, Captain Leonard Gibbon and Lieutenant 
Charles G. Purcell, and four men killed and fifteen wounded, several se- 
verely." 

Although the 19th may have acquired celebrity in other engagemcnrs, 
yet those named will undoubtedly be remembered as prominent events in its 



374 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

history, illustrating its brilliant conduct in battle, and must be indelibly 
stamped on the memories of the survivors of this gallant regiment. 

Note. — Company D of this regiment, numbering 50 men, being stationed at a stock- 
ade on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, at Stone River, were attacked on the 
5th of October, by a large force of rebel cavalry and artillery under Maj. Gen. Wheeler, 
and after a short but hopeless resistance, having lost six in wounded, the conipiiny sur- 
rendered ; but, after having been plundered, were released. Lieut. Baldwin reports in 
relation to this aflfiiir, that, having expected an attack, he had early on the morning of 
October 5th put his command in good condition to meet it. About half-past 7 A. M. on 
that day a body of mounted troops numbering about 150, dressed in Federal uniform, 
came within 300 yards of the stockade, and on account of their uniform were taken for 
U. S. troops and not molested. They fell back behind a small grove and for the two 
hours following troops were coming to the front and taking position, completely sur- 
rounding the stockade, when a flag of truce wms sent in by the rebel commander, and a 
demand made in the name of Major-Geueral Wheeler of unconditional surrender. Not 
feeling inclined to comply with the request without a struggle, Lieut. Baldwin declined 
the proposition and sent back a reply " that he would have to fight before he got me." 
On the receipt of this reply fire was opened from a battery which was promptly re- 
sponded to by musketry. The fire was kept up for an hour and a half, throwing nearly 
forty charges of grape, canister, solid shot and shell. Of these, ten shot passed through 
the stockade, knocking the logs to pieces, causing more injury from the splinters than 
from shot. Lieut. Baldwin, deeming it useless to attempt to hold his position any longer 
against such odds, and expecting no assistance, surrendered his command, losing six 
wounded, while the loss of the enemy was ascertained to be two killed and eight wound- 
ed. The rebel force consisted of two divisions of cavalry with twelve pieces of artillery. 
Lieut. Baldwin's men were disarmed, stripped of their overcoats, and marched out on 
the Shelbyville Pike, nearly to Guy's Gap, where they were searched, money and all 
articles of value taken from them, and then the company was unconditionally released, 
when under a pass from General Wheeler, it returned to its encampment at the stockade, 
and next morning marched from Murfreesboro. 



THE TWENTIETH INFANTRY. 

The 20th regiment was recruited from the counties of Washtenaw, Jack- 
son, Calhoun, Eaton, and Ingham. Its camp was at Jackson, with Tidus 
Livermore, Esq., as commandant. It left Jackson for Wasliington Septem- 
ber 1st, 1802, in command of Colonel A. W. Williams, and was soon after 
attached to the 1st brigade, 1st division, 9th corps, of the Army of the Po- 
tomac. 

Early in 1863 the regiment left the Army of the Potomac with the corps, 
and soon commenced the campaign in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Ten- 



While the corps lay in Kentucky the 20th IMichigan occupied Monticello 
for a few days, and on May 6th fell back to the Cumberland river, near 
Jamestown, where the river makes a grand curve known as " Horse-shoe 
Bend." On Friday, ^lay 8th, a hundred picked men of the regiment, in 
command of Capt. D. W. Wiltsie, had pursued and driven ofi' the band of 
the notorious " Champ Ferguson," while three companies, under Captain 
Barnes, had been placed on j)icket at the " Narrows," about two miles from 
the ferry, on the south side of the Cumberland ; in the meantime the regi- 
ment, \vith the exception of the detachiueiits named, had crossed to the 
nortli .side by the evening of the 9th, and this movement had ju^t been ac- 
complished when a courier reached the head(}Uiirters of the regiment with 
intelligence that Capt. Wiltsie's command, attacked by a heavy force, had 
been driven back, while the pickets under Capt. Barnes were being attacked 
above, Lieut. Col. W. Huntington iSniith, in connnand of the regiment, 
(Col. Williams being sick,) directed Major Cutcheon to proceed to the front 



THE TWENTIETH INFANTRY. 375 

and make a reconnoissance ; and who, upon ascertaining the condition of 
affairs and convinced that the most advantageous position to fight the ad- 
vancing enemy was at the " Narrows," rallied the scattered detaclimcnts 
of Wiltsie and Barnes, and, leading them back to the "Narrows," posted 
them just in time to meet and bravely repulse a sharp attack of the enemy, 
ascertained to be the advance guard of General John ]\Iorgan. During the 
early part of the night of the 9th Col. Smith had come up with the remain- 
der of the regiment, increasing the force to a little upwards of three hun- 
dred. On the morning of the 10th the attack was resumed; the front re- 
quired to make a proj)er defence against such a superior force was necessa- 
rily very extended, the comnuvnd being distributed to the best advantage 
jwssible for that purpose; the left wing of the regiment was commanded by 
Col. Smith and the right wing by Major Cutcheon. The enemy pushed for- 
ward with much confidence a brigade, driving in the pickets, assaulting in 
front and flank the main line, itself scarcely more than an ordinary skir- 
mish line, but he was promptly and decisively repulsed, with much loss, 
after this sharp but desidtory fight. During tbe afternoon the comnuuid 
was reinforced by a hundred dismounted men of the 11th Kentucky cavalry, 
■with one piece of the 13th Indiana battery. At 4 P. I\I. it was resolved to 
take the offensive. Across a road, about two hundred yards in fnmt, lay the 
enemy in line; under cover of a rapid fire from the gun the force advanced 
iu double-quick to the charge with the bayonet, routing him in gallant 
style and driving him to the woods. In a very short time he threw f )r\vard 
his reserve brigade, making the odds in his favor ten to one, forcing back 
the command to its first position with severe loss, part of the fighting being 
hand-to-hand and most desperate. In defending this position the contest 
was maintained for nearly three-fourths of an hour, when the enemy suc- 
ceeded in turning their left, forcing them back to a new position. General 
Morgan then demanded a surrender, stating that he had an entire division, 
and that further resistance was useless. He was invited to " come and take 
them ;" but declined the invitation. Another reinforcement of a hundred 
men was received, which covered the withdrawal of the force to the river, 
when it recrossed in the presence of a vastly superior force without further 
loss. 

This affair must be considered as one of the most notable minor engage- 
ments of the war. A handful of men, comparatively, without supports, 
with retreat cut off by a stream one hundred and fifty yards wide, deep aiMl 
raj)id, without entrenchments, repulse the charge of a large brigade, and 
then in turn drive them with the bayonet ; then maintain a desperate light 
with an entire division of nearly four thousand men, and finally withdraw- 
ing IVoiu thorfeld in good order, saving the piece of artillery, bringing off 
the wounded, and recrossing the river in face of the enemy. In this battle 
the loss of the 20th was forty-four killed, wounded, and missing, including 
among the killed Lieutenant William j\I. Green, a valuable officer, while 
the rei)els acknowledged a loss of one hundred and seventy-five in killed. 
For its gallant conduct on this occasion the regiment received the highest 
commendation from General Burnside and his hearty thanks. 

The 20th infantry was, on the 1st of November, 1863, at Lenoir Station, 
East Tennessee, where it remained until the 14th. The enemy making at 
this time their advance toward Knoxville, the regiment was ordered to 
Ilou-h's Ferry, with other forces, to check their advance, but on the loth 
fill hack to Lenoir Station, the regiment covering the retreat, and holding 
the Loudon road during the night. On the IGth the army continuing the 
retreat to Kuoxville, the 20th, with the 2d and 17 th Michigan infantry, 



376 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

were constituted the rear guard. The enemy followed thera up with great 
vigor, and at times pressed them very heavily. At Turkey Creek, near 
Campbell's Station, the rear was attacked by the enemy in force, but suc- 
cessfully sustained the attack for over two hours, when they were reinforced. 
The loss of the 20th during this action was thirty-three in killed and 
wounded. Among the former was its commanding officer, Lieutenant- 
Colonel W. Huntington Smith, who was among the first to fall. He was a 
brave and efficient officer, and his loss was deeply felt by the regiment. 

On the morning of the 17th the regiment, in command of Major Byron 
M. Cutcheon, arrived at Knoxville, having marched all night over bad 
roads, it being the third night that it had been without rest. The enemy 
made their appearance before Knoxville on the 17th, and commenced the 
siege, Avhich continued until the 5th of December. The 20th occujiied an 
exposed position on the line of defences, losing heavily, including Captain 
W. D. Wiltzie, an officer of great ability and courage, who was wounded 
on the 25th, and died on the 27th of November. 

In ]\Iarch, 1864, the 9th*borps was transferred to the Army of the Poto- 
mac, and on the 21st of that month the regiment proceeded on its march to 
Virginia. Having joined the Army of the Potomac, the 20th, then in 
command of Colonel Cutcheon, and serving in the 2d brigade, 3d division, 
crossed the Raj)pahannock on the 4th of May, and the Rapidan, at Ger- 
mania Ford, on the 5th. It participated in the battle of the Wilderness 
on the Gth, losing eight killed, Avouuded, and missing. On the 8th the 
regiment formed part of the rear guard in the movement of its corps to 
Chancellorsville. On the 9th it took part in the engagement on the banks 
of the Ny river, and on the 12th, in command of IMajor George C. Barnes, 
Colonel Cutcheon being wounded, it participated in the attack on the 
enemy's Avorks at Spottsylvania Court-house, sustaining a loss in the acticm 
of thirty killed, eighty-two Avounded, and thirty-one missing. Among the 
killed Avere Captains R. P. Carpenter and Walter McCollura, Lieutenants 
David E. Ainsworth, and James B. Gould. 

Crossing the James river, the regiment arrived in front of Petersburg on 
the 16th, and on the next day Avas engaged as support to the force attack- 
ing the enemy's lines, suffering but slight loss. On the 18tli the regiment 
charged over an open field, and through a cut in the Suffolk railroad, to a 
point near the enemy's lines, Avhere it constructed rifle-pits. During this 
aftack it suffered severely from a galling cross-fire, and lost more than one- 
half of the number engaged, including Major Barnes, commanding regi- 
ment, mortally AVounded, aud Ca2)tain W. A. Dewey and Lieutenant George 
P. Hicks, killed. ^ 

While this regiment, during its term of service, display^ persistent 
firmness and true courage on all occasions, perhaps there Avas no position 
in Avhich it Avas jilaced that exhibited the bravery and endurance of the 
men to more advantage than in the charge made at the "crater," or spring- 
ing of the mine, July 30, 1864. That affair, although resulting in a need- 
less and miserable failure, Avas one of the most daring and desperate under- 
takings of the Avar, involving the advance of nearly a Avhole corps, closely 
massed, over open ground, and expitsed to a murdcnnis and Avithcring fire, 
driving large portions of the force into the mine, Avhich soon became a per- 
fect slaughter pen, and from Avhich there Avas no escape exce^^t through the 
leaden storm Avhicli led to certain death. 

The assaulting force Avas the 9th corj)s Avitli the l.Sth in supjiort, the 2d 
in reserve on the right, and the 5th on the left, the whole closely nuissed, 
with Ledlie's division in advance, Wilcox's and Potter's next in support. 



THE TWENTIETH INFANTRY. 377 

and the colored division (General Ferrero) in the rear. The fuse was to he 
liglited at 3i o'clock A. JM., hut owing to some unavoidahle delay the ex- 
plosion did not occur until twenty niin\ites of five, after sunrise. A heaving 
and trembling of the earth was ft)llowed by huge clouds of earth, and all 
the contents of the fort, guns, caissons, limbers, and the soldiers which 
manned them, being thrown into the air. 

The 20th was commanded by Col. B. M. Cutcheon, and belonged in the 
brigade commanded by Col. AVilliam Humphrey, 2(1 IMicliigan, and was 
serving in Wilcox's division, in which were five other Michigan regiments, 
the 2(1, 8th, 17th, 27th and 1st sharp-shooters. When the mine was sprung 
the 20th advanced at double-quick and formed in the brigade colunni in rear 
of the works, the regiment being the third battalion in the column. At 
8:30 A.M., it formed in the trenches for the charge, the 2d Michigan on its 
right and the 46th New York on its left, and was ordered to follow and he 
guided by the movements of the regiment on the right; It moved by the 
right flank on double-quick toward the enemy's works. Colonel Cutcheon, 
seeing great numbers of the troops crowding behind the fort in much con- 
fusion, moved by the left flank, throwing his regiment upon the enemy's 
rifle-pits to the leii of the fort, ca])turing between thirty and forty of the 
enemy, including two commissioned officers. When the first counter charge 
was made the regiment moved rapidly over the rifle-pits, and into the left of 
the f irt, and when the stampede of tnxips occurred it stood firm, actively and 
persistently participating in repelling tha rebel charges, both in the forenoon 
and afternoon, displaying much courage and coolness. At about 2:30 P. 
M., the last charge was made by the rebels, when nearly all the Union 
troops fell back, by order of General Griffin, to their main line. A part of 
the 20th was still in the fort, and at 3 P. M., the colors of the regiment 
were still flying on the works, defended by about thirty of the men. Of 
these about ten made their escape, and the others were nuide prisoners, 
among whom were Alexander Bush and Fraidc Phillips, color-bearers, who 
previous to their capture cut up the colors and staff of the regiment in small 
pieces, and buried them in the sand to prevent their falling into the hands 
of the enemy. 

The regiment took part in the action of the 30th September following, 
near Poplar Spring Church, losing Captain Oliver Blood and Adjutant J. 
E. Seibert, killed, and a number in prisoners. 

In November of that year the 20th, commanded by Colonel C. B. Grant, 
was encamped at Peeble's Farm in i'vont of Petersburg, engaged on picket 
duty. On the 28th of that month it moved with its division to the extreme 
right of the line east of Petersburg, and during that night took position iu 
the trenches, the regiment occupying Battery No. 9, near the Ap]>oinattox 
river, and relieving a portion of the 2d corps. The enemy having been 
apprised of the moveuient, had posted sharp-shooters in convenient positions, 
who kept up a continuous fire through the night, killing and wounding 
several men of the regiment. 

During the winter the regiment continued in position, within range of 
the enemy's fire from mortar batteries in front, and also on the right flank 
from batteries across the river, mounted with Whitworth and sixty-four- 
pounder rifle guns. From these points he usually opened fire at intervals 
of three or four days, driving every man to the shelter of the works. Tiie 
picket trenches being only about two hundred yards apart at that point 
from those of the enemy ; consequently, much annoyance and danger were 
experienced from the fire of his pickets; and on February lo, 1865, while 
Captain II. F. Robinson was riding along the lines, he was killed by a rebel 
X * 



378 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

sharp-sliooter. Owing to the insufficiency of shelter and scarcity of fuel, 
the men in the trenches suflered much hardship, while at the same time 
their duties were arduous, being engaged on picket or fatigue duty every 
other day. About March 1st, the enemy was observed strengthening his 
works in front, as if he expected an assault. On the 13th the regiment 
•was under arms, anticipating an attack ; and on the 15th it received orders 
to be ready to move at a moment's notice. All the sick were sent to City 
Point, and the men required to sleep on their arms every night. On the 
morning of the 25th, about 4 o'clock A. M., the command was aroused by 
sentinel's cry of "A charge!" and the men were immediately ordered to 
the works. It was still dark, and no one seemed to comprehend the nature 
or extent of the attack. There was an irregular firing heard a short dis- 
tance on the left, and it was soon ascertained that the enemy had captured 
Fort Steadman, and that he was swinging around to the right in rear, with 
the intention of capturing all on the right of the captured fort ; and noth- 
ing but the vigilance and bravery of this regiment and the 2d Michigan, 
which occupied the line between Battery No. 9 and Fort Steadman, pre- 
vented the success of his movement. The 2d Michigan was forced back 
into Battery No. 9, with considerable loss in prisoners. All the rebel bat- 
teries in front of the position were opened on that porti(fn of the line occu- 
pied by the 20th and 2d Michigan, also the guns of the captured fort, while 
the enemy was pouring in at the breach, and at the same time preparing 
for a charge in front. The 17th Michigan, advancing from division head- 
quarters, charged rapidly on the advance in front, but was driven back by 
a superior force. Reforming, it again charged, the 20th and 2d Michigan 
charging gallantly on the right, covered by the guns of Fort McGilvery, 
The enemy, seeing that success was impossible, became utterly demoralized, 
and retreated hastily in great disorder to his works. The regiment was 
then deployed along the picket-line, and succeeded in capturing about 350 
of the retreating enemy, who were delivered inside our lines. During the 
attack the regiment lost nine wounded, three mortally. 

On the 26th, anticipating another attack, the regiment was constantly 
under arms. On the 29th the enemy opened a furious fire, wounding four 
men, and on the 30th the regiment was ordered out through the covered 
way to tlie picket trench, receiving orders, together with the 2d Michigan, 
and 1st ]\Iichigan sharp-shooters, to make a dash on the rebel works. It 
was decided that the 2d Michigan should make the charge, supported by 
the 1st sharp-shooters on the left, and the 20th on the right. The 2d started 
on the charge, preceded by fifty axmen to cut aAvay the chevaux defrm, but 
the furious fire of the enemy indicated that he was fully prepared, and the 
attack at that point was abandoned. Fort Mahon, about two miles to the 
left of the position held by this regiment, was captured by our troops on 
April 1st, while at the same time a heavy demonsti*ation was made on the 
right by the 1st Michigan sharp-shooters, which captured and for a short 
time held a portion of the enemy's works ; and the 20th, together with the 
whole brigade, was kept in constant readiness for a charge, should not our 
forces succeed in holding Fort Mahon ; and a heavy artillery fire Avas kept 
up during the whole day and night by all our batteries, and during the 
2d, the regiment was held in readiness for a charge; and at 3 o'clock A. 
M., on the 3d, it was ordered towards the right to support the 1st ]\Iichigan 
sharp-shooters in a charge on the enemy's works, as it was supposed that he 
was evacuating. On arriving at the point indicated, the sharp-shooters, 
followed by the 2d and 20th iNIichigan, cliarged into tiie city, cai)turing a 
number of prisoners, guns, and small arms, and at 4:10 A. M., the flag of 



THE TWENTY-FIRST INFANTRY. 379 

the Ist Micliigan sharp-shooters was raised on the Court-house of Petersburg, 
that being the 1st regiment which entered the city, and the 20th was imme- 
diately detailed on j^rovost duty. 

While the historic page of this reliable and gallant regiment is bright 
and dazzling — exhibiting a long list of brilliant and important battles — 
there are none of them which set forth in stronger light its daring achieve- 
ments and I'aithful service than these important engagements, in which its 
fighting qualities were so severely tested and so nobly maintained. 



THE TWENTY-FIRST INFANTRY. 

The 21st had its rendezvous at Ionia, and was recruited from the Fourth 
District, comj)rising the counties of Barry, Ionia, Montcalm, Kent, Ottawa, 
Muskegon, Oceana, Newaygo, Mecosta, lilason, ^lanistee. Grand Traverse, 
Leelenaw, ^lanitou, Oceola, Emmet, Mackinac, Delta, and Cheboygan. J. 
B. Welch, Esq., was appointed commandant of camp. The regiment left 
its quarters on the 12th of September, 1862, with orders to report at Cin- 
cinnati. It was immediately pushed into Kentucky. 

At Pcrryville, October 8th, a little less than a month after it left the 
State, the 21st regiment, commanded by Colonel Ambrose A. Stevens, re- 
ceived its first baptism in the blood of the rebellion. It belonged to Colonel 
Nick Greusel's brigade, and was led to ,its position in the fight by General 
Phil. Sheridan in person, and although losing heavily, it, at the same time, 
established a glorious reputation as a fighting regiment, which was emi- 
nently maintained at Stcnie River, Chicaniauga, and Bentonville. 

At Stone River the 21st, then commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel William 
B. McCreery, was in Sill's brigade, of Sheridan's division, and became 
hotly engaged, fighting desperately and continuously against immense odds, 
losing 17 killed, 85 wounded, and 37 missing, including among the mortally 
wounded Captain Leonard O. Fitzgerald, a gallant officer, who died of his 
wounds a few days after the battle. 

General Sheridan, in a portion of his report covering the operations of 
his division in that important engagement, says: 

"The enemy appeared to be in strong force in a heavy cedar woods 
across an open valley in my front, and parallel to it — the cedar extending 
the whole length of the valley — varying from two hundred to four hun- 
dred yards. 

"At two o'clock on the morning of the 31st General Sill, who commanded 
my right brigade, reported great activity on the part of the enemy imme- 
diately in his front. This being the narrowest point in the valley, I was 
feari'ul that an attack might be made, and theref)re directed two regiments 
from the reserve to report to General Sill, who placed them in position in 
very short supporting distance of his lines. At four o'clock the division 
was assembled under arms, and the cannoneers at their pieces. About fif- 
teen minutes after seven o'clock the enemy advanced to the attack across 
the cotton field on Sill's front. This column was opened upon by Bush's 
battery, of Sill's brigade, which had a direct fire on its front, and by Hes- 
cock's and Iloughtaling's batteries, which had an oblique fire on its front 
from a commanding ])osition, near the centre of my line ; the effect of this 
fii-e upon the advancing column was terrible. The enemy, however, con- 
tinued to move forward until he had reached nearly the edge of the timber, 
■when he was opened upon by Sill's infantry, at a range of not over fifty 
yards. As this attacking force was massed several regiments deep, the de- 



380 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

struction to it was great. For a short time it ■vvitlistood the five, then 
wavered, broke, and ran. Sill directed his troops to charge, which was 
galhuitly responded to, and the enemy was driven back across the valley 
and behind his entrenchments. The brigade then fell back in good order 
and resumed its original lines. In this charge I had the misfortune to lose 
General Sill, who was killed." 

The enemy soon rallied and advanced to the attack. General Sheridan, 
after making several movements with brigades of his division and with his 
artillery, intending to meet successfully the advancing enemy, and gallantly 
attacking at several points against immense odds without success, finally 
took a position on Negley's right, and placed his batteries in position. "In 
this position," says Sheridan, "I was immediately attacked, when one of 
the bitterest and most sanguinary contests of the whole day occurred. 
General Cheatham's division advanced on Roberts' brigade, while heavy 
masses of the enemy, with three batteries of artillery over the open ground 
which I had occupied in the previous part of the engagement, and at the 
same time opened fire from the intrenchments in the direction of Mur- 
freesboro. The contest then became terrible. The enemy made three 
attacks, and was three times repulsed, the artillery range of the respective 
batteries being not over two hundred yards. In these attacks Roberts' 
brigade lost their gallant commander, who was killed. There was no sign 
of faltering with my men, the only cry being for more ammunition, which, 
unfi)rtunately, could not be supplied, on account of the discomfiture of the 
troops on the right of our wing, which allowed the enemy to come in and 
capture the ammunition tra-in." 

General Sheridan, in specially mentioning by name various brigade, 
regimental, and battery commanders of his division — one of whom was 
Lieut.-Colonel W. B. MeCreery, 21st Michigan — says: 

"I refer with pride to the splendid conduct, bravery, and efficiency of 
the following regimental commanders and the officers and men of their re- 
spective commands." 

At Chicamauga the regiment, in command of Col. MeCreery, belonged to 
the same brigade as at Stone River, and then commanded by Gen. Lytic, 
was serving in Sheridan's division of the 4th corps. On September 20th, 
Avhile the division was advancing to the support of General Thomas, it be- 
came heavily engaged, and captured prisoners from four difterent rebel 
divisions. The 21st was in thehottest of the fight, behaved with great cour- 
age, never yielding except when overcome by immense odds, but after a 
brave but fruitless effort against a perfect torrent of the enemy was com- 
pelled to give way. 

In General Sheridan's report is found the fi)lloAving extracts : 

" On the morning of the 20th September I rearranged my lines, and formed 
myself in a strong position on the extreme right, to which I had been as- 
signed, but whicdi was disconnected from the troops on my left. 

" At about 9 o'clock the engagement again opened by a heavy assault 
upon the left of the army, while everything was quiet in my front. To 
resist the assault that was being made on the left the interior divisions were 
again moved. * * * 

" Immediately afterwards I received orders to support General Thomas 
with two briga(lcs, and had just abandoned my position and was moving at 
doul)le-quick to carry out the order when the enemy made a furious assuult, 
with overwhelming numbers, on Davis' front, and coming up through the 
unoccupied s])ace between Davis and myself, even covering the front of the 
position I had just abandoned, Davis was driven from his lines, and Lai- 



THE TWENTY-FIRST INFANTRY. 381 

bolclt, whose brigade was in column of regiments, was ordered by Major- 
General i\rcCook to charge, deploying in front. The impetuosity of tiie 
enemy's charge, together with the inability of Laiboldt's command to fire 
in consequence of the ground in his front being covered with the men of 
Davis's division, who were rushing through his ranks, caused this brigade 
also to break and fall to the rear. In the meantime I I'.ad received tlie 
most urgent orders to throw in my other two brigades. This I did at a 
double-quick, forming the brigade of General Lvtle — composed of the SGth 
and 88th Illinois, 24th Wisconsin, and 21st Michigan— and Col. Bradley's 
brigade, now commanded by Col. W. H. Walworth, to the front, under a 
terrible fire of musketry from the enemy. ]\Iany of the men were shot down 
before facing to the front. After a stubborn resistance the enemy drove me 
back nearly to the Lafayette road, a distance of about three hundred yards. 
At this point the men again rallied, drove the enemy back with terrible 
slaughter, and regained the line of the ridge on which Col. Laiboldt had 
originally been posted. In this charge we took a number of prisoners, and 
the 51st Illinois captured the colors of the 24th Alabama. 

" Here, unfortunately, the enemy had strong su})ports, while I had none 
to relieve my exhausted men, and my troops were again driven back to the 
Lafayette road after a gallant resistance. In this engagement I had the 
misfortune to lose Gen. Lytic, commanding my first brigade, and many of 
the best and bravest officers of my command." 

Among the names of the officers mentioned by Gen. Sheridan as specially 
distinguished are Col. W. B. jMcCreery (wounded and taken prisoner^ and 
Lieut. Col. IMorris B. AVells, (killed,) 21st lAIichigan. 

In this sanguinary engagement the 21st lost most heavily, having 11 
killed, 48 wounded, and oO taken })risoners. Among the woundcil was 
Captain Edgar Smith mortally, who died near Chattanooga on the 11th of 
October following. 

On Koveraber 1st, 18G4, the 21st, then in command of Lieut. Col. L. K. 
Bishop, was at Dalton, Georgia, where it received orders to march to Kings- 
ton and join the 14th army corps; and on arriving there was assigned to 
the 2d brigade, 1st division, when it started for Atlanta, and on the march 
assisted in tearing up the railroad track and destroying everything in its 
rear, reaching that point on the 15th, and on the following day after the 
destruction of that place moved with Gen. Sherman's army towards jMil- 
ledgeville, arriving there on the 22d, and then took up a line of march in 
the direction of Augusta; and on reaching within about f)rty miles of that 
point turned directly south towards Savannah, and arrived at the works in 
front of that place on the 10th of December, and there relieved a part of 
the 20th army corps, which held a portion of the works on the south side of 
the canal, being the most exposed position on the whole line. There the 
men, being obliged to lay in the trenches, without tents and lightly clad, 
few of them having blankets, suffered extremely from cold and also from 
hunger, as their rations were short. 

On the 20th of January following the regiment commenced the campaign 
through the Carolinas. Crossing Cape Fear river on the loth of ^Nlarcli 
and moving forward met the enemy at Averysboro' on the lOth, and, after 
a severe engagement, he was comi)eiled to retreat during the night. Con- 
tinuing the march, again encountering the enemy at Benton ville on the 
19th, when the 21st, in command of Capt. Arthur C. Prince, again gained 
much celebrity for gallant and daring service, encountering the enemy and 
becoming heavily engaged; it lost in killed and wounded six officers and 
eighty-six enlisted men out of two hundred and thirty. 



382 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

While the 21st has on every occasion been much distinguished and always 
recognized as a fighting regiment, Stone River, Chicamauga, and Benton- 
ville will stand out as among its principal engagements. 

THE TWENTY-SECOND INFANTRY. 

The 22d regiment, so distinguished at Chicamauga for one of the most 
dashing and desperate bayonet charges of the war, was raised in the coun- 
ties of Oakland, Livingston, Macomb, St. Clair, and Sanilac by the talented 
and much lamented Governor Wisner, who went to the field in command 
of the regiment. Leaving the State for Kentucky on September 4th, 1862, 
he served faithfully and with much distinction until attacked with typhoid 
fever, of which he died at Lexington, Ky., January 4, 1863. Col. Wisner 
was much devoted to his regiment and the cause of his country, which he 
most warmly espoused ; his honorable adherence to both, and his high sense 
of duty, induced him to remain in the field until disease had fastened upon 
his system, prostrating him beyond a chance of recovery. Had health not 
failed him and life been spared his great ability, nobleness of character, 
firmness, and courage, would have rapidly advanced him to a high rank, 
and placed him prominently in the history of his country which he loved 
so well. 

The regiment, in command of Col. Heber Le Favour, first met the enemy, 
under Gen. Pegram, at Danville, Ky., March 24th, 1863, and was subse- 
quently engaged at Hickman's Bridge, Ky., Pea-vine Creek, and McAlfee's 
Church, Tenn. ; then followed Chicamauga, the great and disastrous conflict 
of the " River of Death." In that battle, on Saturday morning, September 
19th, Gen. Whitaker was reinforced by Mitchell's and McCook's brigades 
and by the 22d Michigan and 89th Ohio, under Colonel Le Favour. The 
command of Col. Le Favour was attached to Col. Whitaker's own brigade, 
and that day and night were placed in line of battle. 

Sunday, at 9 A. ]\I., the deadly strife commenced on General Thomas' 
line, which was shattered and compelled to fall back. General Whitaker 
was ordered to move to the right and reinforce Tliomas at a point some 
four miles distant. IMoving rapidly, he soon found the rebel cavalry in 
position to check him, but quickly drove them oflf, and succeeded in estab- 
lishing himself near the right of Thomas' line. General Steadman, com- 
manding 1st division, reserve corps, received instructions from Thomas that 
the enemy must be driven from the hill on his right. General Whitaker 
was ordered to the work, and advanced in two lines — the first, composed of 
the 96th Illinois, on the right, 115th Illinois in the centre, and the 22d 
Michigan, in command of Lieutenant-Colonel Sanborn, of that regiment, 
on the left ; the second line — 40th Ohio on the right, 84th Indiana in the 
centre, and 89th Ohio on the left, and in rear of the 22d Michigan, both 
lines under command of Colonel Le Favour. Charging in gallant style on 
the enemy's lines, they drove them from the hill full half a mile. Here the 
rebels rallied, and Longstreet's forces came rushing down in masses eight 
lines deep. The gallant brigade received and repulsed them with terrible 
loss. Colonel Sanborn was severely wounded while in front of his regi- 
ment. The color-sergeant, Philo J. Durkee, and Corporal Stanscll were 
killed in turn, and Corporal Vincent severely wounded, while bravely 
bearing the colors of the22d to the front. The rebels drove the brigade to 
the foot of the hill at the second onslaught, where it again formed, and 
again gallantly retook the crest. Colonel Le Favour informed General 



THE TWENTY-SECOND INFANTRY. 383 

Whitaker that ammunition was exhausted. " You must use your steel," 
was the reply. The enemy again furiously advanced. The sun had gone 
down; in the twilight it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe. The 
22d rushed forward, led hy Colonel Le Favour in person, with fixed bay- 
onets and empty muskets, under a most terrific fire of grape and musketry, 
met the charge of the enemy, and repulsed and drove him at every point. 
General Steadman sent an order to fall back, but it was too late ; before it 
arrived the regiment was closed in upon at both flanks and cut off. This 
brave and most desperate charge. General Steadman declared, saved that 
immediate portion of the army. 

A correspondent says : "Whitaker said he would take the ridge, and he 
did it. This is the way it was done : The six regiments of the 1st brigade 
were formed in two lines; the first, comprising the 96th Illinois, Colonel 
Thomas E. Champion, on the right ; 115th Illinois, ColonclJ. H. Moore, in 
the centre ; and the 22d Michigan, Colonel Lc Favour, on the left. Then 
came the order to advance. With a yell, the first line bounded forward 
on the double-quick. Up and down the little hills and through the narrow 
valleys which intervened they pressed hastily forward, until they came 
within short range of the rebel musketry, which opened upon them furiously, 
while the grape and canister from the battery on the ridge swept cruelly 
through the ranks. Almost exhausted with their hurried march and their 
long-continued double-quick, the troops , recoiled for a moment under that 
withering fire; but ere the most timid could think of retreating, Colonel 
Champion promptly gave the command to halt, lie down, and fire, which 
was obeyed on the instant. There the line lay for five minutes, responding 
resolutely to the fire of the enemy. That five minutes was a terrible ordeal 
for our soldiers, for during that short period their ranks were more than 
decimated. Then came the order to fix bayonets and charge upon the 
enemy. The ardor of the men overcame their fatigue, and, tired as they 
were, they resumed the double-quick march as they advanced up the ridge, 
right in the face of a galling fire. If a man fell — and many did — he was 
left to enrich the soil of Georgia with his life's blood ; or, if able, to creep, 
alone and unassisted, to the rear, for none who were able to march left the 
ranks, which were kept well closed up, and the line was firmly main- 
tained." 

The same correspondent, in giving the names of many who distinguished 
themselves, says of Colonel Lc Favour : 

"And Colonel Le Favour, who led his 22d ]\Iichigan on a bayonet charge, 
after they had expended all their ammunition, should not be forgotten 
when the roll of honor is made out." 

On this day the 22d lost in killed, wounded, and missing 372 out of 584, 
including among the mortally wounded Captains W. A. Smith and Elijah 
Snell, brave and meritorious officers. Most of the missing were taken pris- 
oners in the charge, among whom was the commanding officer — Colonel 
Le Favour. 

In this charge the regiment was almost annihilated, but gained an im- 
perishable page in history. 

Note. — The following extract from the report of General Whitaker, shows the nature 
of the conflict in which the 22(1 was engaged at Chic;imauga : " My command was thea 
moved by the flunk in two lines, at double-quick time up the viilley for nearly a mile 
under a heavy fire of shell from a rebel battery. Several were killed and wounded in 
this charge. Arriving at the point occupied by (jcn. Thomas, we found him sorely 
pressed and yie4ding stubbornly to superior numbers. I was directed to drive the ene- 
my from a ridge on which he had concentrated his forces in great numbers, supported 



384 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

strongrly by artillery, and was imminently threatening destruction of the right by a flank 
movement. Forming my command in two lines, 9Gth Illinois on the right, 115th Illinois 
in the centre, and 22d Michigan on the left ol the first line. Both lines then advanced 
at double-quick against the enemy. The conflict was terrific, the enemy was driven 
nearly h:ilf a mile; rallying, they drove my command a short distance, when they ia 
turn were driven again with great loss. Both lines had been thrown into the conflict 
on the second charge, and the whole line kept up a deadly and well directed fire upon 
the enemj who fought with great determination and vigor. The 22d Michigan after 
fighting for nearly three hours, having exhausted its ammunition, boldly charged into 
the midst of overwhelming numbers with the bayonet, driving them until overcome by 
superior numbers." 

In Company C of this regiment served the infant, but heroic soldier "Johnny Clem." 
This boy is a native of Newark, Ohio. In the spring of 18G3, having scarcely seen 12 
summers, he followed an Ohio regiment to Nashville, at that time the seat of war in the 
West. On the 4th of July following, he enlisted in the 22d Michigan regiment, and took 
part in all its campaigns down to the bloody engagement at Chicamauga. His heroism 
in the last-mentioned battle brought him to the notice of General Rosecrans, who, with 
other deserved honors, promoted him to the rank of sergeant. A complete outfit for 
the infantile "orderly" was forwarded to ■General Thomas's headquarters by some citi- 
zens of Cincinnati, and its presentation was the occasion of the following pleasant 
sketch by a correspondent from that city : " Of course you remember the story ol little 
Johnny Clem, the motherless atom of a drummer boy, 'aged 10,' who strayed away from 
Newark, Ohio ; and the first we knew of him, though small enough to live in a drum, 
be was beating the long roll for the 22d Michigan. At Chicamauga he filled the office 
of 'marker,' carrying the guidon whereby they form the lines; a duty having a coun- 
terpart in the surveyor's more peaceful calling, in the flagmen who flutters the red sig- 
nal along the metes and bounds. On Sunday of the battle, the little fellow's occupatioa 
gone, he picked up a gun that had fallen from some dying hand, provided himself with 
ammunition, and began putting in the periods quite on his own account, blazing away 
close to the ground like a fire-fly in the grass. Late in the waning of the day, the waif 
left almost aloue in the whirl of the battle, a rebel Colonel dashed up, and looking down 

ordered him to surrender. 'Surrender,' he shouted, 'you little d — d son of a .' 

The words were hardly out of his mouth, when Johnny brought his piece to ' order 
arms,' and as his hand slipped down to the hammer, he pressed it back, swung up the 
gun to the position of 'charge bayonet,' and as the officer raised his sabre to strike the 
piece aside, the glancing barrel lifted into range, and the proud Colonel tumbled from 
his hor.se, his lips fresh-stained with the syllable of vile reproach he had flung on a 
mother's grave in the hearing of her child." While the prisoners of his regiment, taken 
in that fearful charge, were being marched to the rear, they were fired upon by a rebel 
force. Clem dropped as if shot, and after laying for some time and until the rebels had 
moved off", he travelled to Chattanooga during the night, a distance of about ten miles. 
He was mustered out of service by order of the Secretary of War, at Atlanta, Ga., Sep- 
tember 8th, 1804. After his discharge, Clem went to school at Indianapolis, at the ex- 
pense of the late General Thomas, who took a si)ecial and fraternal interest in bis wel- 
fare. The letters from the great general to the little hero of Chicamauga, as might be 
expected, were models of simplicity. He closes one with these words : " Remember 
that modesty and self-denial are among the best of the virtues." Johnny now holds an 
appointment at West Point. He is no longer " an atom of a drummer boy," but a 
promising student, five feet one-eighth of au inch in height, active and very intelligent, 
bidding fair to graduate high. 



THE TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 

The 2M, raised and rendezvoused at East Saginaw, under the direc- 
tion of Colonel David Jerome, commandant of camp, left tlie State for the 
field in Kentucky, September 18, 18(J2, under command of Colonel M. AV^. 
Chapin ; and after much hard service on long and tedious marches, per- 
forming a great amount of duty in garrison, and guarding railroad trains, 
acquiring an enviable rej)utatiou as a reliable and serviceable regiment, first 
met the rebels at Paris, Ky., on July 19, 18G3, where a brief but spirited 
skirmish occurred, resulting in the route of the enemy. ^ 

Later in the same year, ia the harassing cugagemeuts around Kuoxville, 



THE TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 385 

immediately preceding tlie investment of that place by Longstrcet, the regi- 
ment, under command of Colonel Chapin, took a most active part, partici- 
pating at Campbell's Station ; losing in the various battles and skirmis^hes 
8 killed, 23 wounded, and 8 missing. It vvas also prominently engaged 
in the gallant and successfid defence of that place by General Burnside. 

Colonel Chapiu conmianded the regiment with much ability and con- 
spicuous courage in the field, until April 15, 1864, when his health failed 
him, compelling him to resign, and Lieut. Col. O. S. Spaulding was pro- 
moted to the colonelcy. 

Although this reliable and model regiment acquitted itself with much 
celebrity in every encouiiter with the enemy in which it was engaged, Camp- 
bell's Station, Kesaca, Franklin, and Kashvillc will always be recognized 
as prominent among its many hard-ft)Ught battles ; and the memories, of 
those fields, on which so much patriotism and daring courage were evinced, 
will last while a soldier of that noble regiment lives. 

In November, 1863, while General Burnside occupied East Tennessee, 
and while his troops were falling back from Loudon on Knoxville, the 23d 
Michigan, then commanded by Major W. W. "Wheeler, the 111th Ohio, the 
lOTlh Illinois, and the 13th Kentucky, all under command of Col. Chapin, 
composed the 2d brigade of General White's 2d division, of the 23d corps. 

The brigade had been engaged with its division in a severe encounter 
with the advancing forces of Longstreet at Huff's Ferry, on November 12, 
when Colonel Chapiu moved forward with' his brigade to the attack on the 
double-quick, and after a severe fight against immense odds, drove the 
enemy back for over three miles, when he took a strong position on a hill, 
which he thought impregnable, defended as it was by three regiments of 
Long-street's celebrated corps ; ])ut a charge was made by the 2d brigade, 
and in fifteen minutes the hill was cleared and the rebels routed, with 
heavy less. 

Next morning at daylight the troops took up the line of march to Lenoir's, 
the 2d brigade covering the retreat, and skirmishing with the enemy during 
the day. Lenoir's was reached about 4 P. "SI., when it was discovered that 
the main rebel force had taken a position to give battle. Necessary prepa- 
rati(jns were immediately made to meet their attack; but no demonstration 
was made by the enemy that evening. At daylight next morning the re- 
treat was continued. INIarching in thedirectiouof Knoxville, the retreating 
troops were overtaken by the enemy near Campbell's Station at midday, on 
the 16th, when a severe engagement immediately ensued, which is described 
by a correspondent of the Louisville Journal as follows: 

"One brigade of the 9th corps was in advance, the 2d brigade of the 23d 
corps in the centre, and one brigade of the 0th corps as rear guard. The 
skirmishing was begun by the 9th corps, forming in rear of General White's 
command, which formed in line to protect the stock, etc., as it passed to the 
rear, and to cover the retreat of the 9th corps, which was the rear guard, 
and was to file past it. Again was the 2d brigade in position where itipust 
receive the shock of battle, and must sustain more or less the honors already 
won. The arrangements for battle had hardly been completed before the 
cavalry came in from the front, followed by the infantry of the 9th corps, 
and two heavy lines of the enemy emerged from the woods three-quarters 
of a mile in front. Each line consisted of a division, and were dressed 
almost wholly in the United States uniform, which at first deceived us. 
Their first line advanced to within eight hundred yards of General White's 
front before that officer gave the onler to fire. Henshaw's and the 24th 
Indiana batteries then opened on them with shell, but they moved steadily 
Y 



386 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

forward, closing up as their lines would be broken by tliis terrible fire, until 
within three liuudred and fifty yards of our main line, when the batteries 
mentioned opened on them with canister, and four batteries in the rear and 
right and left of General White, opened on their rear line with shell. This 
was more than they could stand. Their front line broke and ran back 
some distance, where they reformed and deployed right and left, and en- 
gaged the 13th Kentucky and 23d Michigan on the right, and the 111th 
Ohio and 107th Illinois on the left, wliich were supported by General Fer- 
rero's command, of the 9th corps. This unequal contest went on for an 
hour and a half The only advantage over them so far was in artillery — 
they not having any in position yet. It seemed to be their object to crush 
the inferior force opposing them with their heavy force of infantry. The 
m£n were too stubborn ; they would not yield an inch, but frequently drove 
the rebels from their position, and held their ground. Finding they could 
not move them with the force already employed, the rebels moved forward 
another line of infantry, heavy as cither of the first two, and placed in 
position three batteries. Their guns were heavier and of longer range than 
those of the 2d brigade, and were situated to command General White's 
position, while his guns could not answer their fire. They got the range 
of these guns at once, and killed and wounded several gunners, and disabled 
several horses, when General White ordered them back to the position occu- 
pied by those in the rear, the infantry holding the position covered by the 
artillery on the hill. An artillery fight then began, which continued nearly 
two hours, till it was growing dark, and the order was given for our troops 
to fall back to resume the march to Kuoxville. 

" Of Col. Chapin, commanding the 2d brigade, I need not add to what 
I have said. His excellent management of the troops upon three fields, 
and his personal bravery, have attached him to his men as few commanders 
are attached. His staff. Captains Gallup and Sheldon, and Lieut. Pearson, 
are worthy followers of their brave leader." 

This correspondent, in mentioning the names of the several regimental 
commanders in the brigade as behaving nobly, includes the name of Major 
Wheeler. 

The regiment arrived at Knoxville at 4 A, M., on the 17th, after a march 
through mud and rain of twenty-eight miles, having lost in the several 
movements 8 killed, 23 wounded, and 8 missing. 

At Rcsaca, on JNIay 14, 1864, the 23d, commanded by Col. Spaulding, 
still in the 2d brigade, then commanded by General Hascall, and belonging 
to General Judah's division (2d) of the 23d corps, with its brigade, engaged 
the enemy, and took a most gallant part in assaulting his strong position 
at that point, losing heavily. 

Colonel Spaulding, then in command, in his report makes the following 
mention of the services of his regiment in that affair : 

"An assault on the enemy's works was ordered. The assaulting column 
was formed in three lines, this regiment being in the second line, advancing 
over an open field within easy rifle-shot of the enemy's position, under a 
terrible fire of musketry and artillery. The regiment in advance of the 
23d broke, and was driven back, and the one in our rear followed them. 
We pushed forward until we readied a deep creek, which it was impossible 
to cross, and held our position until ordered back. In this advance the 
regiment lost 62 killed or wounded. Lieutenant William C. Stewart was 
among the killed." 

In the American Cyclopaedia, for 1864, is found the following: 

"A division (Judah's) of the 23d corps, and Newton's, of the 4th corps, 



THE TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 387 

moving over comparatively level grouiKl, succeeded, after a desperate strug- 
gle, iu forcing the enemy to abandon an important position on the outer 
line. Although the Federal troops were unable to hold this, they succeeded 
in advancing their line and getting their artillery into a position to prevent 
the enemy from reoccupyiug the works." 

At Franklin the regiment, in command of Col. Spaulding, was serving 
with the 2d division of the 2;)d corps, Major-Gcneral Bcdficld, and iu the 
'2d brigade, commanded by Col. O. II. JMoore, of the 25th Michigan. On 
November 4th, 18G4, it left Johiisonville by rail for Columbus, Tennessee, 
and there joined the army, opposing the advance of Hood on his Northern 
campaign. Arriving at Columbia on the 2oth, while a heavy skirmish was 
in ])rogress, two companies of the regiment were engaged on the skirmish 
line, and at miduight the forces were ordered to withdraw to the south side 
of Duck river, wliere works wore thrown up. On the 28th the regiment 
crossed to the north bank, skirmishing with the enemy across the river, and 
on the 29th fell back towards Franklin, arriving there on the morning of 
the 30th, where the army was immediately put in position, throwing up 
slight works. 

At 4 P. j\[. the enemy, in great force and with much vigor, attacked iu 
four lines, and, after a most desperate assault, was repulsed wdth great loss; 
but the attack was again renewed and continued at intervals until 10 P. 
^I., when he made a most determined el^Jirt, advancing as with a death 
struggle, planting his colors on the works in front of the 2od Michigan, but 
was handsomely repulsed by the regiment in a hand-to-hand fight with the 
bayonet. This deadly encounter and most determined successful defence 
by Col. Spaulding and his gallant regiment was seldom if ever equalled 
during the war. 

In the engagement Caj^t. David M. Averill fell mortally wounded. 

At Nashville, on the morning of December loth, 18()4, while that place 
was being assaulted by Hood's rebels, the regiment, as a part of the army 
of General Thomas, moved on the enemy, and served with conspicuous 
bravery and marked efficiency in the engagements of that eventful day and 
the next, which, after most desperate fighting, resulted in driving Hood's 
forces iu a demoralized condition from all their ])ositions, giving to the Union 
arms one of the most substantial and important victories of the rebellion. 

On the loth Col. Spaulding, with his regiment, then in the brigade of 
C'ol. j\Ioore, ma<le a most daring and dashing charge on a position occupied 
by a portion of the enemy's infantry posted behind a heavy stone wall on 
the crest of a hill, which it carried in most brilliant style, capturing more 
prisoners than there were men in the line of the regiment. The flag-staff 
was shot in two and the color sergeant severely wounded, but before the 
colors fell to the ground they were grasped by Corporal Freeman, of the 
color guard, and bravely carried forward. 

The regiment afterwards served with much credit and distinction with its 
corps in North Carolina until the close of the war. 

The 23d corps having received orders to proceed to "Washington, D. C, 
the regiment left Columbia, Tenn., on Januar)' 1st following, and marched 
for Clifton, a point on the Tennessee river, distant 250 miles, where it ar- 
rived on the 8th, and on the IGth embarked on steamers for Cincinnati, 
Ohio; reaching there on the 22d, immediately took rail for Washington, 
D. C, and, arriving there on the 29th, moved to Camp Stoneman and con- 
tinued at that point until February 9th, when it went to Alexandria, where, 
on the 11th, it embarked with its corps on transports for Sraithville, N. C, 
at the mouth of Cape Fear river, reaching that point on the loth. On the 



388 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

17th the movement was commenced against Fort Anderson, and on the 18th 
our troops were advanced to within a few yards of the f)rt and intrenclied 
under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery, and on the morning f>f the 
19th occupied the fort, the 23d JMichigan being the first to enter. Engag- 
ing again the enemy at Town Creek on the 20th, capturing two pieces of 
artillery and taking 350 prisoners, a movement was immediately made up 
the south bank of the river above Wilmington, and ou the night of the 22d 
tiie troops moved back ten miles to cross the river for the purpose of rejoin- 
ing General Terry. The crossing was made ou boats from the fleet on the 
morning of the 23d, when it was found that Wilmington had been evacuated 
during the previous night. The advance Avas resumed ou March 6th. Pro- 
ceediug up the coast, reached Kingston just at the close of the action at that 
point, having marched 125 miles in six days, and for the last twenty-four 
hours without halting, except long enough to draw rations and issue thirty 
additional rounds of ammunition to the men. On the 20th left Kingston 
and occupied Goldsboro' on the 22d, the enemy retiring on the approach of 
our forces. Gen. Sherman's army arriving at Goldsboi'o' on the 23d, the 
regiment was sent back ten miles, to IMosely Hall, to guard the railroad at 
that i^lace while the army was being supplied, and on April 9th moved with 
the grand army on Raleigh, which was reached and occupied on the 13th. 
The regiment remained there until the surrender of Johnston's army on 
the 21st, when, on the 3d of May, it marched for Greensboro', distant ninety 
miles, reaching there on the 7th. On the 9th went by rail to Salisbury, 
remaining thereuntil June 28th, when it was mustered out of service. 



THE TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY. 

The celebrated 1st brigade of the 1st division, 1st corps, known as the 
"Iron Brigade," was the 24th Michigan, organized and commanded by Col. 
Henry A. Morrow, and which was so distinguished at Gettysburg in 18G3. 
On Wednesday morning, July Ist, the commencement of that most import- 
ant and sanguinary batlle, which in the war was second to none in glory to 
the Union arms, fraught with mighty consequences and great with victory, 
culminating in results vital to the Republic. Major-General Reynolds, in 
command of the 1st corps, advanced on the Emmetsburg road from ]Marsh 
creek to Gettysburg, where he arrived about 10 o'clock A. M. and marched 
directly through the town. General Hill's corps was ascertained to be 
posted l)ut a short distance in front, and a bod}' of Hcth's division of that 
corps was discovered holding a position on the Chambersburg road, and 
were driven from it by the cavalry under Buford. The rebel division com- 
ing uj) Buford was com])elled to retire, when the 1st corps made its appear- 
ance, Gen. AVadsworth, commanding the 1st division, having the advance. 
The division of Gen. Doubleday f illowing fi»rmed on the left, and that of 
Gen. Rctbinson on the right. Gen. Reynolds advanced his line hastily, al- 
most before his troops were well formed, and soon encountered a heav}' j'orce 
of the enemy's infantry, which were charged by the 1st division and <lriven 
from the valley in front and over the ridge at the farther side, although 
with a heavy loss by the destructive fire of the enemy. In this charge the 
"Iron Brigade" gallantly daslied up and over the hill and down into the 
ravine through which flows Willoughby's Run, where the 24th took a large 
uumlier of prisoners, being a ])art of General Archer's brigade. Ai'tcr ad- 
vancing to the crest of the hill beyond the run the regiment halted and 
threw out skirmishers to the front and also to the left; here General J\ev- 



TUE TWEXTY-FOURTII IXFAXTRY. 389 

laolds, upon going out to the front to reconnoitre, was killed by a shot from 
the enemy. Orders were then given to witlidraw to the east bank of the 
stream, and the I)rigade marched into what are known as JMcPherson's woods 
and formed in line of battle, the 24th in the centre, tiie 7th AVisconsin on 
the right, and the 19th Indiana on the left. In this movement Lieut. Col. 
Flanigan was severely wounded and compelled to leave the field. Skir- 
mi.shers were immeiliately deployed in front of the brigade and became at 
once engaged with the enemy. 

Colonel Morrow, considering the position held by his regiment uiitcnaljle, 
suggested to the commanding general a cliange, but he was ordered to hold 
the ground at all hazards. The enemy advanced in two lines of battle, his 
right extending beyond and overlapping the left of the brigade. The fire 
of the 24th was held until the enemy came within easy range, when a well 
directed volley was poured into his ranks, but from the nature of the 
ground in front, little injury was inflicted, and his advance not being 
checked, he came pressing rapidly on in heavy masses, his men yelling like 
demons. The 19th Indiana, on the left of the 24th, fought most nobly, 
but was overpiAvered by immense odds, and, after severe loss, was forced 
back, exposing the 24th to an enfilading and cross fire. Orders were then 
given to swing back, so as to face the enemy now on the flank. While the 
movement was being executed, the enemy advanced in such numbers as 
compelled the 24th to retire to a new position. In the meantime, the regi- 
ment had lost most heavily in officers and men. The second line being 
promptly formed, a most desperate and determined resistance was made, 
but the enemy accumulating in overwhelming force in front, the brigade 
was driven to a third position, the regiment again losing severely and 
almost decimated. jMajor E. B. Wight, acting lieutenant-colonel, being 
wounded, left the field, and scarcely a fourth of the men taken into the 
engagement could be rallied. Corporal Andrew Wagner, of company F, 
one of the color guard, having the colors, was ordered by Colonel INIorrow 
to ])lant them at a point to which he designed to rally the regiment, and 
while doing this he was shot in the breast and greatly injured. ■Colonel 
]Morrow snatched the flag from the hand of the wounded soldier, and was 
rallying the remnant of the regiment, when Private William Kelly, of 
company E, rushed to the front and grasped the colors, shouting triumph- 
antly, "The Colonel of the 24th shall never carry the flag while I am 
alive," and the gallant fellow' was instantly killed by a bullet from the 
enen)y. The colors were then seized by Private Silburne Spaulding, and 
carried by him for some time, when Colonel iMorrow again took them, and 
continued to rally his nuni until he was wounded and left the field ; he 
afterwards fell into the hands of the enemy, but ingeniously made his 
escape. The connnand then devolved on Captain Albert M. E<lwards, 
who, with much energy and conspicuous bravery, rallied all that was left 
of tlie noble regiment, under a most galling and murderous fire, and fell 
back to Culji's Ilill, which it assisted in holding against the determined 
assaults of the enemy f)r the two succeeding days. Tiie colors of the 24th 
were f >und after Colonel Morrow was wounded in the paralyzed hands of 
a Avounded soldier, whose name is unknown, and who probably lies with 
the gallant dead of Gettysburg. Tiie field over which the 24th fought, 
from its first line of battle in jNIcPhersou's woods to the barricades near the 
Seminary, was strewn with killed and wounded, its loss being extremely 
large, exceeding, perhaps, that of any other regiment of equal strength in 
tliat great and imjxirtant engagement — losing .'U(! in killed and wountled 
out of 49G, and in addition, 80 of the enlisted men and 3 officers were re- 



390 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

ported as missing in action, many of whom have never been heard from, 
and were undoubtedly killed. This engagement will always be considered 
as prominent among the many hard fights in Avhich the regiment took a 
part. Colonel INIorrow, in his report, says : 

"At an early hour in the morning, July Lst, we marched in the direction 
of Gettysburg, seven miles distant. The report of artillery was soon heard 
in this direction, indicating that our cavalry had become engaged, and our 
pace was considerably quickened. About 9 A. M. we arrived near the 
town, when we filed off to the left, and moved forward into line of battle at 
double-quick. The cavalry immediately in our front was hotly engaged. 
We were ordered to advance at once, no time being alloAved for loading 
the guns ; the regiment was halted for that purpose, but was ordered to 
move forward without loading, which was done. Charging up and over a 
hill and down a ravine, we captured a large number of prisoners. The 
enemy advanced in two lines of battle, their right extending beyond and 
overlapping our left. The men were directed to withhold their fire until the 
enemy should arrive within easy range. This was done, but the nature of 
the ground was such that we inflicted but little injury on the enemy at 
this time. Their advance was not checked, and they came on rapidly, 
yelling like demons. We were forced back to a new position, where a line 
was promptly formed ; but, after a desperate struggle, we were again forced 
to retire to a third position, beyond a slight ravine. Our loss was very 
large, exceeding, perhaps, the losses sustained by any one regiment of equal 
size. Out of twentj'-eight officers, twenty-two were killed or wounded, and 
of 468 men, 316 were killed or wounded. During the engagement the flag 
was carried by nine different persons, four of the number having been 
killed and three wounded. All of the color guard were killed or wounded. 
The officers killed were Captains William J. Speed, Malachi J. O'Donnell, 
Lieutenants Walter H. AVallace, W. S. Safl^>rd, Newell Grace, 11. H. 
Humphreville, Gilbert A. Dickey, and Lucius D. Shattuck. 

"Of these nothing less can be said than that tlieir conduct in this memo- 
rable battle was brave and daring, and was creditable alike to themselves 
and the service. It will not be disparaging to his brave comrades who fell 
on this terrible but glorious day, and who sleep with him in honored graves, 
to say that the death of Captain Speed was a severe loss to the service, and 
an almost irreparable one to the regiment. He was amiable, intelligent, 
honorable, and brave, and was universally respected and esteemed by all 
who knew him. 

"Captain O'Donnell was a young officer who had given strong proofs of 
courage and capacity, and whose death was deej^ly deplored by the regi- 
ment. 

"Lieut. Wallace served in the Peninsula campaign, and lost an eye at 
the battle of Fair Oaks. He was a brave officer and honorable man, and 
a good disciplinarian. 

" Lieut. Dickey joined the regiment in the capacity of commissary ser- 
geant, and for his integrity, capacity, and attention to duties, was promoted 
to sergeant-major, and afterwards 2d lieutenant. He had given great pro- 
mise of future usefulness and distinction. 

" Lieuts. Grace, Humphreville, Safford, and Shattuck Avere distinguished 
in the regiment for their attention to every duty, for the amiability of their 
manners, and for unflinching courage in battle." 

There were no battles in which this fine regiment was a participant that 
it did not acquit itself nobly; and were it necessary to cite more examples 
than that of Gettysburg to establish the twenty-fourth as one of the best 



THE TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY. 391 

fighting regiments, selections might be made from ahnost any of its battles, 
commencing with Fredericksburg, December 12, 18G2, where it lost Lieut. 
David Birreil, a most promising young ofiicer, and seven men killed, sixteen 
wounded, and eighty missing, and ending with Dabncy's Mills, February 
17, 1(SG5, where, under command of Lieut. Col. A. M. Edwards, it was 
heavily engaged, losing tw'enty in killed and wounded. Especially might 
reference be made to Fitzhugh's Crossing, April 29, 1863, in the advance 
on Chancellorsville, when, supported by the Gth Wisconsin, the regiment, 
commanded by ('ol. IMorrow, crossed the Rappahannock, driving the rebels 
from their ritle-j)its, and taking, 103 prisoners — a daring achievement, com- 
manding at the time the notice of the entire army for gallant and success- 
ful service. In tliis affair the 24th lost 25 in killed and wounded. 

Were it necessary to cite more occasions on which the 24th distinguished 
itself, to establish a fighting re})utation, the principal engagements of the 
Army of the Potomac in the campaign of 18G4 might be introduced. 

"With the opening of that camjiaign the 24th, under command of Colonel 
Morrow, and then serving in the 1st brigade, 4th division, 5th corps, broke 
cam]) on the evening of the 3d of May, crossed the Rapidan at Germania 
Ford on the 4th, and on the evening of the 5th encountered the enemy in 
the Wilderness. During this engagement the regiment captured a number 
of prisoners and a stand of coh)rs from the 48th Virginia rebel infantry. 
Its loss during the battles of the AVilderi\ess, between the 5th and 7th, were 
18 killed, 4G wounded, and 42 prisoners and missing. Among the killed 
were Captain George Hutton and Lieut. William B. Ilutchinson, and among 
the severely wounded was Colonel Morrow. On the night of the 7th of 
May, Lieut. Col. A. M. Edwards in command, the regiment withdrew from 
the Wilderness, and marched rapidly towards Spottsylvania Court-house. 
At the latter place it was under tire almost every day until the 21st, sus- 
taining a loss of 11 killed, 39 wounded, and 1 missing. The regiment 
crossed the North Anna river ISIay 2od. The enemy almost immediately 
attacked, but were repulsed with large loss. The loss of the 24th was 3 
kilh'd, 8 wounded, and 5 missing. On the 28th the regiment crossed the 
J^imunkey river near Hanovertown. It participated in the fighting attend- 
ing the advance to Cold Harbor, and in the battles and skirmishes near 
that point, sustaining a loss of 3 killed and 15 wounded. June IGth it 
ci'ossed the James river at AVilcox's Landing, and marched toward Peters- 
burg. On the 18th it participated in the unsuccessful assault on the enemy's 
works surrounding that city, going into action with 120 men, and of this 
number, losing nearly one-third in killed and wounded, including among 
the killed Lieutenant and Adjutant Hevill Chilson. From this date until 
the movement on the Weldon railroad, on the 18th of August, the regiment 
was actively employed in duties attending the siege of Petersburg. Its loss 
in the various actions and skirmishes, and fnmi the fire of the enemy's artil- 
lery and sharp-shooters, to w'hich it was exposed, was 8 killed, 3G wounded, 
and 5 missing. August 18th it participated in an engagement on the Wel- 
don railroad, having one man wounded. On the 19th the enemy massed a 
heavy force on their front, and attacked their position. The regiment suc- 
ceeded in holding its ground for a short time, and thus saved a large por- 
tion of its brigade from capture. The casualties of the regiment during 
this action were twenty-five in the aggregate. The regin\ent also partici- 
pated in the battle of the 21st of August, in which the rebel attack on our 
lines was repulsed with large loss, the 24th capturing during the battle 
eleven rebel officei-s, one stand of cohn-s, a large number of arms, and sixty 
men, while its loss was very slight. The regiment participated in the battle 



392 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

of Hatcher's Run on the 27th of October. The division captured a large 
number of prisoners during the night of the 27th ; and on the uioruing of 
the 28th the regiment was sent on picket, and covered the retreat of the 
army back to their old works in front of Petersburg. 

Note. — A special of the N. Y. Tribune says of the "Iron Brigade" at Gettysburg: 
"Reynolds has ridden into the angle of wood a bowshot from this Seminary, nml that 
he cheers the Iron Brigiide of Meredith as they wheel on the flank of the oak trees for 
a charge. Like a great flail of steel they swing into the shadows with an huzza that is 
as terrible as a volley ; low crouching, dismounted, by his horse's head, the General 
peeps into the depths of the grove : ' Boom I' from^the oaken recesses breaks a hail- 
storm of lead, and Reynolds, with the word of command upon his tongue, f.ills forward 
bloodily. The light of pride in his eye grows dull as blindness ; the bronze flush on 
his face is veined with blue ; two men bear away a dripping stretcher to the edge of the 
town ; the architect of the battle has fallen dead across its portal. Grief, terror, have 
no space to live in. Across the brook and up the ridge, with a yell that is shot through 
and through with their own volleys, two jagged arcs of gray leap into sight, wheeling, 
the one for the wood, the other pushing through the gorge of the old railway. Huzza! 
From the skirts of the oaks the great double doors of the Iron Brigade shut together, 
with a slam as of colliding mountains, folding between them fifteen hundred rebel pris- 
oners of war. Patrick Muloney, a brawny Irishman in blue, seizes General Archer by 
the throat: 'Right about face, Gineral I March!' Ere you can think, the disarmed 
column is over the Seminary ridge, and the grinning Celt has said to Wadsworth, look- 
ing on from the Seminary shadows : 'Gineral Wadsworth, I make you acquainted with 
Gineral Archer.' " Patrick Maloney, referred to, belonged to the 24lh Michigan. 

Following is an extract from a letter of General S. Meredith, written to Colonel Mor- 
row in the same month in which the battle of Gettysburg was fought: " Although still 
confined to ray bed by severe injuries received in the late battle of Gettysburg, I cannot 
longer delay tendering to you, and to the brave men under your command, my heart- 
felt thanks for the gallant bearing of yourself and regiment in the battle of tiie 1st inst. 
No troops ever fought more bravely than did those of the 24th on that occasion. The 
'old Iron Brigade' being among the first on the field, it had to meet the first shock of 
a desperate attack of a far superior force, and nobly did it do its duty." 

THE TWENTY-FIFTH INFANTRY. 

The 25th recruited under the superintendence of the Hon. H. G. Wells, 
commandant of camp, a splendid and well-disciplined regiment, commanded 
by Col. O. H. Moore, then a captain in the 6th U. 8. infantry, leit Kala- 
mazoo for the field in Kentucky, September 29, 18G2, and on December 
27th following, first tested the realities of war by engaging the enemy unricr 
the rebel General Pegram, at Mumfordsville, Ky., thus early conniiencing 
a career of fighting for the Union, which it nobly and forcibly maintained 
during its whole term of service, ending with the war. The regiment was 
specially distinguished cm July 4, 1863, at Tebbs', near Green River Bridge, 
Kentucky, where it most gallantly repulsed an overwhelming rebel lorce, 
with heavy loss. About July 1st Colonel Moore was stationed, with five 
companies of his regiment, on the north side of Green river, ten miles north 
of Columbia, on the main road running from Columbia to Lebanon, Ky.. 
and on the 2d of July was advised of tlie fact that the rebel General John 
H. ]\[organ was about crossing the Cumberland river to invade the State, 
with a cavalry force of from three to four thousand men. Being left to 
exercise his own discretion independently, and there being no Union troops 
nearer than at a post thirty miles distant, he felt that it ^Yas his duty to 
retard the jn-ogress of the great rebel raider, if but for a few hours, as they 
might ])rove precious hours to the country. He might have retreated with 
entire success, but from patriotic motives he chose to fight, when he could 
scarcely entertain the hope that he and many others would ever live to tell 
the story of that terrible battle. 



THE TWEXTY-FIFTri INFANTRY. 393 

After surveying the surrounding country, he selected a strong position 
for a buttle-lieJd, ou the south side of Green river, about two miles from 
the encampment, in a horse-shoe bend of the river, through which the road 
ran, ou which the rebel forces were advancing. This chosen battle-ground, 
which was at the narrows entering the bend of the river, afforded high 
bluff banks, which ]u-otectc(l the flanks of the command, and also com- 
pelled the rebels to fight him ujjou his own front. The Colonel instructed 
his command that there were no rebel troojis organized that could whip 
them upon their own front, with the flanks protected, and with this judg- 
ment he w'as ready to engage ten times his own nund)er of the enemy, 
feeling confident that his finely disciplined troops would do ten times better 
fighting than that of the rebels. 

On tiie evening of the od of July, General Morgan encamped with his 
entire command, about five miles south of Green river, and Colonel Moore, 
after dark, advanced with his command of five companies, numbering less 
than tliree hundred men, about two miles toward the enemy, leaving the 
river in his rear, and occupied the ground which he had previously selected, 
and prepared for the battle. The defence, which had been completed that 
night, consisted of some felled trees on the battle-line, which was in the 
rear of an open field, and was intended more ])articularly as an obstruc- 
tion to the advance of cavalry, while to the front, about one hundred yards 
in the open field, was thrown up a temporary earth-work, which was in- 
tended to check the advance of the enemy, and more especially to com- 
mand a position where the enemy would evidently plant th-jir battery. 
This work Avas not intended to be held against charges of a superior force, 
ou account of the flanks not being strong, and was occupied by only about 
seventy-live men, who were instructed that when it became necessary to 
abandon the work, it should be done by flanking to the right and left from 
the centre, so as to unmask the reserve force on the battle line and expose 
the enemy to their fire. This work was located, in aiAicipation of its cap- 
ture by the rebels, a little down the slope of the field, so that when it was 
in possession of the enemy it would be useless, and leave him exposed to a 
deadly fire. 

At the gray of morning the fire of the i-ebels upon the pickets resounded 
through tlic woods, and the entire rebel division, under General Morgan, 
was pressing upon the front. The fire was returned with spirit as the 
pickets retii'ed to the breast-work, where they joined about seventy-five of 
their comrades, already in the advance work, and there, with their united 
fire as siiarp-shooters, held the enemy in check, without exhibiting their 
numbers and the real object of the work. 

The rebel artillery, of four pieces, had gained the anticipated position, 
and at once opened lire with some effect, when General Morgan suspended 
firing, and under flag of truce, sent forward the following dispatch : 

Headquarters Morgan's Division, in the Field, 
In front of Green River Stockade, July 4, 18(33. 
To the Officer Commanding Federal Forces at Stockade near Green River 
Bridge : 
Sir: In the name of the Confederate States Government, I demand an 
immediate and unconditional surrender of the entire force under your com- 
mand, together Avith the stockade. 
I am, very respcctfullv, 

JXO. II. I\IORGAX, 
Commanding Division Cavalry, C. S. A. 
Y * 



394 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

Colonel ]\Ioore rode forward between the lines, where he met the dele- 
gation of rebel officers, who a})pealed to him with marked courtesy and 
diplomacy, urging the surrender of his command, and promising kind treat- 
ment, as their only interest was to move forward on their course. Colonel 
Moore replied: "Present my compliments to General Morgan, and say to 
him that, this being the 4th of July, I cannot entertain the proposition to 
surrender." 

Col. Allston, Morgan's chief of staff, said: I hope you will not consider 
rae as dictatorial on this occasion ; I will be frank ; you see the breach we 
have made upon your work with our battery ; you cannot expect to repulse 
General Morgan's whole division with your little command ; you have re- 
sisted us gallantly and deserve credit for it, and now I hope you will save 
useless bloodshed by reconsidering the message to General IMorgan. To this 
the Colonel replied : Sir, when you assume to know my strength you assume 
too much ; I have a duty to perform to my country, and therefore cannot 
reconsider my reply to General Morgan. The rebel officer seemed moved 
by these remarks, extended his hand, and, with a moist eye, said : " Good- 
bye, Col. Moore; God only knows which of us may fall first." They turned 
their horses and galloped in opposite directions, and at once renewed the con- 
flict. No sooner had the rebel battery re-opened fire than Col. INIoore com- 
manded the force to " rise up and pick those gunners at the battery." No 
sooner was the command given than a deliberate and deadly fire by rank 
was delivered, which silenced the battery. Col. Johnson's brigade then 
charged the work, and the little command abandoned it, as previously in- 
structed ; and when the rebels reached it they found that it availed them 
nothing against the deadly fire wliich was poured into them from the main 
force on the battle line in the timber. 

The rebel foe, with a hideous yell, chai'ged across the open field a num- 
ber of times in the face of a terrific fire, which repulsed them on each occa- 
sion, with severe loss.j The conflict was almost a hand-to-hand struggle with 
nothing but a line of felled trees separating the combatants. At the same 
time the rebels were engaged in cutting out a gorge leading througli the 
precipitory bluff into the river bottom, which had been obstructed with felled 
timber. The entrance was finally effected, and a regiment, commanded by 
Col. Chenault, opened fire upon the right flank of the line of Union troops. 
This was a most critical and trying moment; the rebels had gained an im- 
portant point; to defeat it was of the utmost importance; a comi)any iiad 
been held in reserve for any emergency which might arise during the bat- 
tle ; it Avas now brought f )rward, deployed as skirmishei's across the river 
bottom, with the riglit flank extending beyond the rebel line, and presented 
the appearance of being the advance line of reinforcements. 

The strength of Col. Moore's command was a matter of doubt with the 
rebels, rendered more so by his having instructed his men to keep quiet and 
pour in as rapid and deadly a fire as possible. As cheering was suppressed 
nothing but the efficacy of the firing afforded ground for estimating their 
strength, and when Col. Moore brouglit forward and manoeuvered the reserve 
company with the shrill notes of his bugle, it had the desired efl'ect of im- 
pressing the rebels with the idea that reinforcements of cavalry or artillery 
were advancing, and by the bold front and deliberate firing of the line of 
skirmishers the rebel command in the river bottom was routed, the rebel 
colonel commanding killed, and they were promptly driven back through 
the gorge through which they entered, disheartened and defeated. New 
courage inspired the heroic little band who had sustained eight determined 
charges upon their front when the attack upon their right flank was de- 



THE TWENTY-FIFTH INFANTRY, 395 

feated. The enemy, having met with a heavy loss after a battle of four 
hours' duration, retreated, leaving a number of killed and wounded upon 
the field greater than the entire number of the patriotic little band tliat 
opposed them. Among the number of killed and wounded were twenty- 
two commissioned oflicers. 

The rebel command effected a crossing six miles down the river and pro- 
ceeded on their march. It was his intention, as General IMorgan declared, 
to capture the city of Louisville, but this unexpected and terrible repulse 
cost him more than twelve hours delay, and caused him, which fact he 
stated, to change his plans and to abandon his attack upon Louisville. By 
this brilliantly fought battle the city of Louisville was saved from sack and 
pillage and the Government from the loss of an immense amount of proper- 
ty, consisting of munitions of war and army sui)))lies amounting to the value 
of several millions of dollars. This splendid victory was acku(j\vledged by 
Major-General Ilartsulf in the following order: 

Headquarters 23d Army Corps, 

Lexington, Ky., July 17, 1863. 
General Order, No. 12. 

The general commanding the corps extends his thanks to the two hun- 
dred officers and soldiers of the 25th ]\Iichigan regiment, under Col. O. H. 
Moore, who so successfully resisted by t^heir gallant and heroic bravery the 
attacks of a vastly superior force of the enemy under the rebel Gen. John 
IMorgan, at Tebbs' Bend, (m Green river, on the 4th of July, 1803, in which 
they killed one-fourth as many of the enemy as their own little band amount- 
ed to and AYounded a number equal to their own. 

By command of Major-General llartsuff: 

GEO. B. DRAKE, A. A. G. 

The Legislature of Kentucky also acknowledged the services of Colonel 
Moore and his command on that occasion in complimentary resolutions. 

Kev. John S. C. Abbott, the historian, has written a beautiful description 
of this battle in the August number of Harper's ^Magazine, 1805. 

The rebel General John Morgan admired Col. Moore's generalship so 
much in conducting this battle that he sent him complimentary messages 
and declared that he was worthy of pi'omotion, and accordingly announced 
that he promoted him to the raidc of brigadier-general. 

Col. Allston, the chief of Morgan's staff, was captured a few days after 
the battle, and Avith him his private journal, which was published, and in 
speaking of this battle of the 4th of July, he says: 

" Gen. IMorgan sent in a flag of truce and demanded the surrender, but 
the colonel quietly rcnuirked, 'if it was any other day he might consider 
the demand, but the 4th of July was a bad day to talk about surrender, and 
he must therefore decline.' The colonel is a gallant man, and the entire 
arrangement of his defence entitles him to tlie highest credit for military 
skill. We would mark such a man in our ai-my for promotion." 

The movements of the regiment during the summer campaign of 1864, in 
Georgia, were identified with those of the Army of the Ohio, wliich formed 
a part of the army under comnuind of General Sherman. During this 
campaign the regiment participated in the various engagements at Rocky 
Face Ridge, IMay 19th ; Rasaca, May 14th ; xVltoona, May 26th to IMay 
29th ; Pine INLnintain, June lotli ; Gulp's Farm, June 22d, and Nicka- 
jack Creek, July 1st. On tlic 9th of Jidy the regiment crossed the Chat- 
tahoochie river, and on the 22d appeared in front of Atlanta. It took an 



396 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

active part in the siege of that place. On the 6th of August it charged and 
assisted in carrying tlie enemy's works near East Point. The regiment 
also participated in the flank movement west and south of Atlanta, to 
Jonesboro, which was followed by the evacuation of Atlanta by the rebel 
army. 

The regiment was most conspicuously distinguished at Resaca, Avhere, in 
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Benjamin F. Orcutt, it participated in the 
desperate charge made by Judah's division, of the 23d corps, and Newton's, 
of the 4th corps, driving the enemy from a strong and well fortified posi- 
tion, and, although not held, enabled General Sherman to advance his lines 
and get his artillery into such a position as to render it impossible for the 
enemy to again occupy the place. This charge was made under a most 
murderous fire of musketry and artillery, first across an open field, and 
then over a stream, with the water near waist deep, and bordered with 
thick bushes and vines, cut and lopped down in such a manner as to en- 
tangle the troops. In the charge the regiment lost about fifty men in a 
very few minutes. Among the killed was Adjutant E. M. Prutzraan. 

At Nickajack Creek, near Kenesaw, on the 1st of July following, the 
25tli, still in command of Lieutenant-Colonel Orcutt, again most signally 
maintained its fighting qualities as a regiment, while making a flank move- 
ment with its division (Ilascall's) to the extreme right of General Sher- 
man's army, the regiment advancing seven miles during an intensely hot 
day, continually under fire of musketry and artillery from early in the 
forenoon until dark, and being engaged in two brilliant and successful 
charges during the day, driving the enemy from every position, securing the 
desired point known as the cross roads, near Nickajack creek. The posi- 
tion thus obtained was held and strongly fortified during the night, and the 
force increased early on the morning of the 2d by the coming up of the 
17th corps. The result of this movement was the evacuation by General 
Johnston of his strong position on Kenesaw jMountain and abandonment of 
all his works between that phice and *he Chattahoochie. 

On the 1st of November, 1864, this regiment was near Rome, Ga., serv- 
ing in the 1st brigade, 2d division, 23d corps, and on the 2d marched to 
Resaca, then took rail to Johnsonville, Tenn., where it arrived on the 5th, 
and remained there until the 14th, when, with its brigade, it marelied to 
Centreville to guard several important fords on Duck river. It was en- 
gaged at Pine Creek on the 26th and at Franklin on the 30th, and soon 
after the engagement at the latter place it was ordered with its brigade to 
Nashville, but owing to the rebel General Hood having invested that 
place, it was compelled to make a circuitous march of two hundred and 
fifty miles by way of Clarksville to reach that point, and at one time was 
within the rebel lines, but under cover of a dark night made its way out 
and arrived at Nashville December 8th, and on the 15th and 16th took 
part in the battle before that city, with a loss of one killed and seven 
wounded. The regiment was afterwards identified with all the movements 
of the 23d corps in its march to Columbia in pursuit of Hood's army. 
From Columbia the regiment marched to Clifton, on the Tennessee river, 
distant two hundred and fifty miles, where it embarked on steamers for 
Cincinnati, and thence proceeded by rail to AVashington, I). C, and soon 
after took transports for North Carolina, where it participated in the move- 
ments of General Schofield's army. 

After the surrender of the rebel forces under Johnston, the 25th was 
sent to Salisbury, where it remained until June 24th, when it was mus- 
tered out of service. 



THE TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY. 397 



THE TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY. 

The 26tli — tlie celebrated skirmish rep:iment of tlie 1st brigade, 1st di- 
vision, 2d corps — left Jackson for the iiehl in Virginia on December l.'>, 
1862, in command of ('olonel Judson S. Farrar, under Avhose direction it 
had been recruited. Soon after the arrival of tlie regiment at Washing- 
ton, it was ordered on provost duty at Alexandria, Va. It remained thus 
employed until April 20, 18G3, when the regiment proceeded to h?uflolk, 
Va. It participated in the several expeditions subsequently made to the 
Blackwater, In one of these. May 23d, a portion of the regiment became 
engaged in a skirmish in the vicinity of Windsor, losing Cajitain ,Tohn C 
Culver, mortally wounded, Avho died next day. 

The 26th had acquitted itself ^Yith nnich credit in several battles when 
it entfred on the great campaign of 1^64 with the Army of the INitomac, 
bravely fighting through the AV'ilderness and at Corbin's Bridge and Nye 
River, and then most signally distinguishing itself at Po River and 8pott- 
sylvauia. On May 9, 1864, the regiment, in command of Major L. Baviers, 
marched to Po river, crossed, dej)loye(l as skirmishers, and advanced about 
two miles, captured a few stragglers, halted, and laid in skirmish line all 
night, in close proximity to the enemy, who was busy throwing up works. 
On Tuesday morning, the 10th, Gener^d Grant's army occupied the same 
position as on the previous day. His line stretched about six miles on the 
northerly bank of the Po, and took the general form of a crescent, the 
wings being throAvn forward. The 2d corps, across the Po, now held a line 
on the right, nearly parallel to the road from vShady Grove Church to the 
Court-house. The 5th corps held the centre, being on the east side of the 
Po, and the 6th corps held the left, facing toward tlie Court-house. Further 
on the left was the 9th corj)s, under General Burnside. In front was a 
dense forest. The enemy held Spottsylvaiiia and the region north of the 
Court-house ; his position was Avell supported by breastworks, and along 
the centre was the forest and underbrusli, lining a marsh partially drained 
by a run. The conflict opened in the morning by a terrific fire of artillery, 
which was incessant all the forenoon. A most vigorous and gallant attack 
was made by the 5th corps and by Generals Gibbon's and Birney's di- 
vision of the 2d corps on the centre of General Lee's army. In the mean- 
time the enemy had turned General Barlow's division, (1st,) of the 2d 
corps, on the right, but it was finally extricated without much loss. In 
this movement of the enemy the 26th was attacked from the rear, and 
after a spirited resistance was compelled to move out by the left flank, and 
took a position to cover the recrossing of the troops, and when accoinplishcd, 
crossed to the opposite side of tlie river. On the next day (Wetinesday, 
the 11th) the position of the two armies wasjiearly the same as on the pre- 
vious day. During the morning there was brisk skirmishing. The regi- 
ment, in command of IMajor L. Saviers, was sent out to reconnoitre the 
enemy's position, moved up the north bank of the Po about two miles, 
crossed, deployed as skirmishers, and advanced down the south bank to 
find his left and develop his force, attacked and drove in his pickets, 
charged a strong skirmish line, driving them into their works, gaining and 
holding a position under a heavy fire for half an hour, within three hun- 
dred yards of the enemy's intrenchments. Having accomjilished the object 
of the reconnoissance, the regiment recrossed the river and returned to the 
picket line, with a loss of three killed and fifteen wounded. It was de- 
termined during the day to make an assault early the next morning on the 



398 HISTORY OF MICHIGXN DURING THE REBELLION. 

enemy's left, ■\vliere tlieir batteries were so strongly posted as to annoy 
General Grant's lines. The 2d corps was selected to make this movement. 
Soon after midnight, in the darkness and storm, General Hancock changed 
the position of his corps from the extreme right to the left, filling up the 
space between Generals Wright and Burnside. It was then near ground 
well commanded by the enemy, and requiring a quick advance in the 
morning. At IIP. ]\I. the 26th, having been relieved from the picket 
line, commenced the movement to the left of the 6th corps at Spottsylvania, 
Avherc the division had preceded it, and in the darkness being misled, had 
marched all niglit, only reaching the ground Avhere the division, being in 
the fir.st line, was massed for the assault, just in time for the regiment to 
form in column without halting, aligning its ranks as it advanced. The 
regiment moved up in gallant style, and was the first to reach the rebel 
works, (striking them at an angle,) which were carried after a hand-to- 
hand fight with the bayonet, capturing two brass guns immediately in rear 
of the enemy's line, which had been fired only once, and just as the works 
were entered. The regiment passed on without halting, and soon became 
mingled with the other regiments coming up in left and in rear, and with 
these charged along the rebel line at a run, rolling it up for more than a 
mile, capturing a large number of prisoners, guns, and colors. When 
about a mile from the angle referred to, another line, running nearly per- 
pendicular to the line being rolled up, was encountered, which sharply con- 
tested the advance. Having unavoidably become much broken up, and 
being opened on by a heavy fire from the woods on the right and left, were 
obliged to fall back, losing half the ground gained, though the men wlio 
thronged their works had been made jirisoners and sent to the rear. Seve- 
ral pieces of the captured artillery were left in the hands of the enemy, as 
they could not be drawn off". The regiment was reformed and moved with 
the brigade to the woods on the left, wliere rifle-pits were constructed. The 
enemy having, by repeated and desperate assaults, retaken the works on the 
left, near the angle, the regiment was ordered to that; creeping along by 
the right flank on the outside of the works, until it overlapped the rebel 
line about half the length of the regiment, its right resting near the })()int 
where a large oak tree, twenty-two inches in diameter, standing almost on 
the first line of rebel works, was literally cut down by musket bullets, partly 
coming from the 26th. 

In the Richmond Examiner's account of the battle of Spottsylvania occurs 
the following : 

"A Tree Hewn Dowx by Bullets. — Most people have doubted the 
literal accuracy of the dispatch concerning the battle of Spottsylvania, 
which alleged that trees were cut down under the concentrated fire of Minie 
balls. We doubted the literal fact ourselves, and would doubt it still 
but for the indisputable testimony of Dr. Charles INIcGill, an eye-witness 
of the battle. The tree stood near our breastworks at a point upon which 
at one time the most murderous musketry fire that ever was heard of was 
directed. The tree fell inside our works, and injured several of our men. 
After the battle Dr. McGill measured the trunk, and found it twenty-two 
inches through, and sixty-one inches in circumference, actually hacked 
through by the awful avalanche of bullets packing against it. The fi)Iiage 
of the tree was trimmed away as effectually as though an army of locusts 
had swarmed on its branches. A grasshopper could not have lived through 
the pelting of that leaden storm ; and but for the fact that our troops were 
protected by breastworks they would have been swept away to a man." 

The regiment fought for more than one hour over the rebel works, almost 



THE TWEXTY-SIXTII INFANTRY. 399 

musket to musket, losing a large number killed and wounded, when the 
enemy made signals of surrender by waving handkerchiefs on their ram- 
mers. Firing ceased, and the rebels were called to come over, when tiieir 
whole line for seventy or eighty yards rose up and started to come in ; but 
the moment firing ceased the enemy advanced a fresh line, which came up 
from their supports to the works with a cheer, when most of those who had 
started to surrender turned and jum]»ed into tlie works again. About twenty 
who were immediately in front of the regiment were taken. The regiment 
fought this new line for luilf an hour, when it was relieved and moved to 
the left, where it joined the brigade and remained during the night. In 
this memorable afiair, which lasted fourteen hours, the regiment lost twenty- 
seven killed, four commissioned officers and ninety-three men wounded, and 
fourteen missing, most of whom are now known to have l)eeu killed. jNIajor 
Saviers, commanding the regiment, was struck four times by the enemy's 
bullets while gallantly doing his duty, and seven out of the nine color- 
guards were killed or wounded. The regiment was specially complimented 
by Generals Barlow and Miles for its noble conduct and persi.steut and 
vigorous fighting during the day, and had the credit of first planting its 
colors on the enemy's works. 

Leaving its position at Spottsylvania Court-house on the night of the 
20th, the regiment marched to the North Anna river, where it arrived on 
the 23d. On the 24th it crossed the North Anna at Jericho Bridge, under 
a heavy fire from the enemy's artillery,' and after a spirited skirmish the 
rebels were driven into their works. The casualties of the regiment in the 
engagement were five killed and nine w^ounded. It recrossed the North 
Anna on the night of the 20th, and marched toward the Pamunkey. 
Crossing that river on the morning of the 28th, it advanced to the vicinity 
of Hawes' Shop, and threw up ])reastworks. On the 2yth it moved down 
the liichmoud road, drove in the enemy's pickets, and developed their posi- 
tion on the Tolopotamy creek. Three companies were engaged in skirmish- 
ing Avith the enemy on the 30th, losing one killed and three wounded. On 
the 2d of June the regiment arrived at Cold Harbor ; and advancing as 
skirmishers on the enemy, near Gaines' Hill, succeeded in driving them 
into tlieii- intrenchments. It afterwards charged their works across an 
open field ; but, finding them occujMed by the enemy in force, and being 
under a fire of grape and canister, the regiment was obliged to retire. The 
casualties sustained in the assault were fifteen wounded and five missing. 
From the 3d to the 12th the regiment was on the skirmish line and in the 
intrenchments, and lost three men killed, seven wounded, and one missing. 
At midnight, on the 14th, it crossed the James river at Wilcox's Landing, 
and on the morning of the 16th arrived in front of Petersburg. The regi- 
ment participated in the assault of the 16th, in which the first line of the 
enemy's rifie-pits were carried. It lost in the attack its commanding officer. 
Captain James A. Lothian, who was mortally wounded, and two men killed 
and nine wounded. On the 17th, the regiment, commanded by Captain A. 
G. Dailey, participated in the captureof the enemy's line of works, losing in 
the charge two killed and seven wounded. A detachment was engaged as 
skirmishers on the 18th, with a loss of one killed and one wounded. On 
the 22d the regiment assisted in repulsing an assault made on our lines, 
near the Williams House. Its loss in the attack was two men taken pris- 
oners. 

The 26th also attracted much enviable notice by its gallant fighting at 
Deep Bottom, July 27 and 28, 1864, where the enemy in front of the 2d 
corps occupied riile-pits defended by a battery. An advance was made by 



400 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

the corps, during wliich General Miles' brigade, in which was the 26th, 
flanked the whole position under a brisk fire, driving the enemy in much 
confusion, capturing four guns and taking some prisoners, the 2Gth Michi- 
gan constituting a part of the skirmish line which led the assault. On the 
28th the regiment made a reconnoissance between New Market and Charles 
City road to discover the enemy's left, when it attacked and drove in splen- 
did style double its own strength for half a mile, and then pushed them 
into their earthworks in much confusion. For this gallant and dashing 
affair, and the operations of the day preceding, the regiment was specially 
complimented by General Hancock in general orders. 

On the 16th of August it encountered the enemy near the White Oak 
Swamp, losing three killed, fourteen wounded, and seventeen taken prison- 
ers. Among the latter was the officer commanding the regiment. Captain 
A. G. Dailey. The regiment recrossed the James river on the 20th, and 
reached the lines in front of Petersburg on the 21st. On the 22d it marched 
to the Weldon railroad, and until the 24th was employed in the destruction 
of that road near Ream's Station. On the 25th it Avas engaged in the battle 
at the latter point, assisted in repelling the repeated assaults of the enemy, 
and after the works were taken by the rebels participated in the charge in 
which they were retaken. Its loss in' the action was three wounded and 
fourteen missing. 

On the 25th of March, 1865, immediately following the evening's attack 
on Forts Steadman and Hancock, in the line of the works in front of the 
9th corps, the regiment, in command of Captain S. H. Ives, with the bri- 
gade, was ordered to make a charge on the enemy's works in front of its 
position, and succeeded in capturing a portion of them, taking several 
prisoners, and continued fighting during the day with slight loss. The bri- 
gade occupied that position until tlie army commenced its flanking move- 
ment to the left on March 29tli, when it was deployed during the day as 
skirmishers, in front of the corps, and at night was relieved. On the oOth 
it again skirmished the entire day, the regiment losing several men, and on 
the 81st it marclied in column until about noon, when it again took the 
skirmish line, and participated in a running fight with the enemy until it 
was relieved. From the 1st to the 6th of April it was engaged in pursu- 
ing the retreating army, fighting every day. On the 6th the regiment took 
a very active part in the capture of a train of 260 wagons, containing bag- 
gage, provisions, and ammunition, and was the first regiment to attack the 
train. The pursuit of the enemy continued on the 7th, 8th, and 9th, and 
the regiment was in the skirmish line at the surrender of Lee's army, and 
through its lines General Grant operated with his flag of truce in arranging 
the terms of surrender. From March 28th until April 9th the regiment 
had captured our 400 prisoners, and during that time its losses had been, 
killed and wounded, about sixty, or more than one-fourth of its number 
present for duty, and had often been complimented by the brigade and 
divison commanders as the best skirmish regiment in the corps. 

THE TWENTY-SEVENTH INFANTRY. 

Although the 27th, organized by Col. D. M. Fox, did not leave the State 
until April, 1863, it engaged tlie enemy at Jamestown, Ky., in June follow- 
ing, and before the war ended had passed through four distinct and promi- 
nent campaigns with tlie 9th army corps, to which it belonged : One in 
Mississippi, the siege of Vicksburg and Jackson ; Burnside's campaign in 



THE TWENTY-SEVENTH INFANTRY. 401 

East Tennessee, including the defence of Knoxville ; Grant's campaign of 
great buttles in the spring and summer of 18G4 and the siege of Petersburg, 
including the surrender of Lee's army ; took part in thirty general engage- 
ments and skirmishes, and by its never-varying firmness, stubborn fighting, 
and bravery in action uell earned the complimentary remarks of the divi- 
sion commander Avhen lie said : " I always feel sure that portion of my line 
occupied by the 27th jMichigan is perfectly safe." 

The regiment left its rendezvous at Ypsilanti April 12, 1863, and pro- 
ceeded via Cincinnati to Kentucky, and was stationed at various posts in 
that State until the 9th corps, to which it was attached, was sent in June 
to Mississii>pi, It moved with the army in its advance on Jackson, I\Iiss., 
in July, and in a skirmish near that place on the 11th of that month lost 
two killed and five wounded. Alter the evacuation of Jackson by the 
rebels it i)articipatcd in a reccnnoissance to Pearl river, and thence returned 
to Milldule, IMiss. During the following month, August, the regiment re- 
turned with the 9th corps to Kentucky. On the 10th of September it was 
ordered to proceed to Cuml)erland Gap. It arrived at the Gap on the 20th, 
nnd from tlieuce marched to Knoxville, Tenn., ai-rivtug at that place Sep- 
temlier 2Glh. 

Breaking camp at Lenoir Station, East Tennessee, on November 14th, 
ISGo, the regiment marched to Hough's Ferry. On the IGth the army com- 
menced the retreat to Knoxville, closely followed by the rebel army under 
General Longstreet. In order to eflect thb safe withdrawal of the trains a 
stand was made at Camp-bell's station. In the engagement the 27th parti- 
ci])ated, losing three killed, eight wounded, and ten missing. The retreat 
was continued to Knoxville, where the regiment actively assisted in the de- 
fence of the city during the siege. In the assault made by the rebels on 
Fort Sanders, November 29th, the loss of the regiment was one killed and 
nineteen missing. The casualties of the regiment during the month of No- 
vember were 4 killed, 4 mortally wounded, 17 severely wounded, and 29 
missing ; total, 54. The regiment marched, on the 7th of December, in pur- 
suit of the retreating enemy, following them to Putlodge, whence, after re- 
maining in camp three days, it fell back to Plain's Cross-roads, where it 
encamjied until tlie IGth of January, 18G4. During the period fjlhnving 
the 14tli of November the suHering and hardships of the regiment were very 
severe, particularly during the retreat to Knoxville and the siege of that 
place, from want of rest and an insufficient supi)ly of ibod and clotliing. At 
Mossy creek, in March, the regiment was joined by two new companies 
which had been raised in the State, together with a large number of recruits, 
numbering in all 3G2 men. On the 17th it marched, via Knoxville, Hall's 
Gap, Ky.. and Camp Dick Robinson, to Nicholasville, Ky. The march to 
this jilaco was accomplished in f )urteen days, an average of nearly seven- 
teen miles a day. Proceeding thence by cars the regiment arrived at An- 
napolis, Md., April 5th. Two companies of sharp-shooters joined tlie regi- 
ment at Annapolis. April 2;)d the regiment moved via "Washington and 
Manassas to Warrenton Junction, Va., where it joined the Army of the 
Potomac on the 29th. It cr(-x<5>ed the Kapidan ou the 5th of i\Iay, in com- 
mand of ^lajor Samuel Moody, and ou the 6th particijjated in the battle 
of the Wilderness, sustaining a loss of eighty-nine in killed and wounded. 
Among the killed being Lieut. James Pluramer and Lieut. Arthur Chris- 
tian, while among the wounded was i\Iajor Moody. 

At Spottsylvania, May 12th, the 27lh most eminently exhibited that 
strong, enduring courage, unyielding firnuiess, which di.stinguishcd it when 
victory was hopeless, and at the assault on Fort iMahon, April 2d, 16G5, 
Z 



402 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

it manifested gallant and impetuous action when success seemed hopeful. 
The condition of the troops on the morning of the hattle of Spottsylvania 
was very unfavorable for an important and desperate assault. For the 
whole previous week the army had been almost constantly fighting, march- 
ing, or throwing up earthworks, and the men were much exhausted. It 
had rained for several days preceding the 12th, and that morning a dense 
fog prevailed effectually concealing any movements of the enemy. One of 
his batteries, occupying a position raking the part of the line held by the 
27th, firing at random, and chance shots from their sharp-shooters frequent- 
ly took efi'ect, and the men of the regiment were compelled to lie on their 
arms without an opportunity of replying ; all were circumstances calculated 
to try them to the utmost, and dispel that spirit and enthusiasm so neces- 
sary for a successful attack. 

The regiment belonged to the 1st brigade, 3d division, 9th corps ; the 
position held by the brigade was at the foot of a hill covered with a heavy 
second growth of pine, and held by the enemy's skirmishers strongly sup- 
ported. A short time before the fog arose the brigade was ordered to dis- 
lodge the enemy from the hill and push forward to the extreme edge of the 
woods and hold the position until the support came up, preparatory to an 
assault on his works. At the command the brigade moved briskly forward, 
encountering a strong resistance, but steadily advanced through the timber 
to an open field ; the fog was rising, and the enemy discovered strongly in- 
trenched in well-built earthworks, not more than one hundred and twenty- 
five yards distant ; the intervening space was an open field, carefully clear- 
ed, affording no protection to an advancing column. They immediately 
opened with a terrific fire of artillery and musketry, and soon after a strong 
force of the enemy came rushing in on the left flank of the brigade then still 
advancing, and, although strongly and persistently resisted, swept steadily 
up the line, checking the movement, taking several hundred prisoners, in- 
cluding one regiment almost entire, and driving back a great portion of the 
command in disorder, leaving nothing on the left of the regiment except the 
Michigan sharp-shooters. The 27th, then commanded by the brave Major 
Moody, who afterwards died of wounds received at Cold Harbor, held its 
position, and swinging back the left of his regiment IMajor IMoody opposed 
a strong front to the enemy, checked his advance, and finally forced him 
from his immediate front and back to his works. The fire of the enemy 
continuing with much vigor and effect, an angle in his works enabling him 
to pour in a very destructive cross-fire from the left, ]\Iajor IMoody sent to 
the corps commander asking permission to fall back a few yards over the 
brow of the hill and await supports, but he received in reply orders not to 
fall back an inch. The. supports, made up mostly of raw troops, foil back 
as soon as they reached within range of the heavy fire of the enemy, and 
the assault was abandoned ; in the meantime an aid had withdrawn unob- 
served the regiment holding the flank on the right of the 27th, the enemy 
then pressed eagerly and rapidly forward, delivering a heavy enfilading fire 
on the 27th. The right of the regiment was immediately swung back, and 
a well-directed fire checked his advance, but a galling fire Avas kept up by 
the enemy on the front and both flanks. The enemy hitherto kept closely 
down behind his works, now poured in volley after volley of musketry with 
fearful effect, and delivered his artillery fire with increased rapidity and 
precision. The ammunition of the 27th w^as gone, the cartridge-boxes of the 
dead and wounded had been emptied and used, and the regiment was at 
the mercy of the enemy, but not a man flinched. The brave old I\Iajor 
Moody, then suffering from a wound received in the Wilderness, moved 



THE TWENTY-SEVENTH INFANTRY. 403 

along the line in front of his regiment under a fearful fire encouraging liis 
men to hold their ground until support came, saying, "General liurnside 

says we mustn't fall back an inch ; d d hard order, but must o])ey it." 

The figlit continued on, but slackening in force, and was ended by the dark- 
ness of night. In this fearful contest the regiment lost 27 killed, 148 wound- 
ed, and 12 missing. Lieutenant John Armour being among the mortally 
wounded and who died next day. 

The brigade commander remarked, with regard to the 27th, that "during 
the engagement not a single man belonging to the regiment attempted to 
pass to the rear unless wounded." 

^larching to the North Anna river, the 27th, then in command of Col. 
D. M. Fox, lost in the operations of the 24th and 2oth of May three killed 
and eight wounded. Having crossed the Pamunkey and moved forward 
with the army to Bethcsda Church, the regiment participated in the engage- 
ment at that point on the 3d of June, with a loss ol' sixteen killed and sixty 
wounded ; among the former being Lieut. Charles TL Seymour and Lieut. 
Charles T. Miller, and among the latter was INIajor Moody mortally, who 
died on the 20th of the same month. ^Marching to Cold Harbor, it took 
part in the operations there, and, crossing the James river with the army, 
advanced to the front at Petersburg. On the 17th and 18th it took part in 
the charges made on the enemy's works. 

Colonel Fox being wounded on the 17th, the command of the regiment 
was assumed by Captain E. S. Leadbetter. During the month the loss of 
the regiment was 21 killed, 149 wounded, and 23 missing. These casualties 
occurred principally in the battles of the 17th and 18th, and included 
Lieutenant J. W. Brennan, killed on the 18th. 

On the 30th of July f )llowing the regiment, with its division, was in the 
gallant charge upon the enemy's lines following the "explosion of the 
mine" under the rebel works, in front of Petersburg, and under a heavy 
and most destructive fire, reached the "crater," with great loss in killed 
and wounded ; among the latter was Colonel "William B. AVright, com- 
manding regiment. The casualties dui-ing July were 24 killed, 92 wounded, 
and 27 missing. 

The regiment, in command of Captain Charles "Wait, occupied a portion 
of the intrenchments in front of Petersburg until the 19th of August, when 
it marched to the Weldon railroad. On the 19th and 20th of August it 
participated in the battles fought near that road. Its losses in these two 
engagements were 9 killed, 8 wounded, and 39 missing, including among 
the killed Lieutenant INIason Vosper. During September, until the 29th, 
the regiment was engaged principally in the construction of fortifications, 
roads, etc. On the 29th it moved to the west of the Weldon road, and on 
the 30th took part in the battle near Peeble's Farm, or Poplar Grove 
Church, with a loss of 10 wounded and 1 mi.ssing. Lieutenant Theodore S. 
Mead here received a wound of which he died at Washington on October 
IGth following. On the 27th and 28Lh of October the regiment took part 
in the movement on the South Side railroad, but did not become engaged. 
On the 31st it was in camp near what is called the Peebles' Farm House. 

On November 1st f )llowing the regiment was engaged on picket duty 
and holding a road, about seven miles west of Petersburg, "Va., and on the 
29th moved to the right and took a position in the works in front of Peters- 
burg, relieving the troops of the 2d corps. In that position it remained, 
doing very heavy and arduous picket duty until April 1st following, when 
it was ordered to make a demonstration on the enemy's line directly in front 
of Mine Fort, as it was supposed that he was withdrawing from that point. 



404 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

The demonstration was made, but it was found that he was still in force, 
and the commaud fell back to the main line of works again, when a move- 
ment was made one mile to the left, where line of battle was formed in rear 
of Fort Sedgwick, and preparations made to charge at daj^break on the 
following morning, and at 4 A. M. on the 2d, the regiment charged on the 
rebel Fort Mahon, capturing its eastern wing. Fort Mahon, prominent 
among the chain of forts in the line of works before Petersburg, and the 
key to the position on that part of the line, was a large, strongly built frame 
and earth-work, protected on the front and both flanks by a deep ditch and 
two lines of chevaux de Jrise ; the front was still farther protected by a 
strong line of rifle-pits, which extended the whole length of the Petersburg 
fortifications outside the chevaux de Jrise. 

The assaulting column was formed by regiments in mass in front of the 
works, which at that point were about three hundred yards distant from the 
fort. The main assault was to be made by a large brigade of new troops, 
that had never participated in an engagement, and the brigade to which 
the 27th belonged was to act merely as a support, and for that purpose was 
drawn up in two lines, the 27th on the right of the rear line. 

Just before daybreak the assaulting column was ordered to advance. 
They moved forward rapidly and silently, but were soon discovered by the 
enemy's outer line, and a heavy fire was opened. The inner line almost in- 
stantly responding to the alarm, opened a deadly fire of artillery and musk- 
etry. The new troops wavered for a moment, then dashed gallantly for- 
ward, and soon after their hearty cheers announced success, their men 
coming to the rear with wounded, shouting exultingly to the old brigade, 
" Now boys, Ave have taken the fort for you, and, for God's sake, see if you 
can't hold it." But the firing every moment increasing in vigor, the news 
from the front began to be doubted, and soon the command was given: 
"Forward, 1st brigade;" when, with a hearty cheer, they advanced gal- 
lantly on the double-quick. Soon the head of the colunui came up with 
the new brigade, and found them only in possession of the rifle-pits, and it 
•was found impossible for the 1st brigade to pass them, and the assault was 
likely to prove a failure, when the quick eye of Wait — the gallant young 
colonel of the 27th Michigan — took in the situation at a glance — failure 
and death to halt and await orders ; disgrace to fall back; the only alter- 
native to attempt the f )rt with one hundred and twenty-throe men. A 
moment's delay would have been fatal ; he instantly changed the direction 
of his regiment by the right flank, unnuisked his command, charged again 
to the front, and nobly advanced, at the double-quick, on the fort. The 
brigade commander, fearing the result, shouted at the top of his voice: 
" Don't attempt the fort, Colonel ; break the lines to the right." The 
Colonel's strong, clear voice, rising above the deafening uproar, answered 
back with gallant spirit: "Fort or nothing T Taking up the cry, the 
whole regiment, with one voice as it were, shouted exultingly: " Fort or 
nothing!" Partaking of the bravery of their Colonel, the men doubled 
their exertions and rushed onward for the fort. The formidable f7iei'ni<.c de 
Jrise which they had dreaded for months was soon reached and quickly 
cleared, and on they rushed. The rebel artillery, heavily charged with 
grape, soon belched forth in awful salvo, but it ])assed harmlessly over the 
regiment, being too near the fort, and, happily, out of range. The ditch 
was soon cleared, and clambering up the embankment, the colors of the 
27th were planted on the parapet. The enemy resisted, but with a rousing 
cheer, such as victorious troops only can give, the whole regiment in mass 
poured into the fort. One hundred and fifty-uiue — tweuty-six more thau 



THE TWENTY-EIGHTH INFANTRY. 405 

the regiment numbered — surrendered on the spot. "Without a moment's 
dehiy, the captured guns (six in number) were turned upon tli().se who 
escaped, and with go(-d efiect. The 27th was thus in possession of this strong- 
hold, and tlic lirst break had been made in the works on that side of the city. 

Kext day, as the brigade returned to their old quarters, after having 
passed through Petersburg, the 51st Pennsylvania, a large regiment, which 
had held the brigade line during the charge, crowded to the side of the 
road, and taking off their hats gave three hearty cheers for the 27th INIichi- 
gan, a high compliment, and seldom paid by one old regiment to another, 
showing in the strongest manner possible the merit of the 27th in the as- 
sault on Fort Mahon. 

^Injor Moody, in his last communication before his death, made to the 
Adjutant-General of the State, giving the casualties of the regiment in the 
battk^s of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania, says: "In conclusion, the 
brave and gallant conduct of both (;flicers and men of my command in these 
engagements, have not only sustained but added new honor to our State and 
country." He wrote in pencil at the foot of the page : " This statement has 
been made in our rifle-pits, and this is all the paj)er I could get." The IMa- 
jor was then suffering from a wound received in the Wilderness INIay 6th. 
He died June 20th following, from a wound at Cold Harbor June 3d. 

Note. — The late Major Moody of the 27tli Mi<,'higan, formerly a well known Lake Su- 
perior ns well as sea captiun. while in command of his company at Jackson, Miss., and 
while in line of battle behind some p'-oteciion, being desirous of saving his men from 
the fire of the enemy, reijcatedl}- cautioned them against exposing themselves, and fail- 
ing to do so satisfactorily, losing all patience with them, rushed in front of the com- 
pany, calling aloud at the top of his voice : " Boys, bear a hand and keep down, or by 
Jujjiter if you don't, I'll send every mother's son of j'ou aft," (meaning the rear.) infer- 
ring that he would do their part of the fighting himself. On anotlier occasion, while 
advancing in line of battle in the Wilderness under a heavy jire, an.xious to keep his 
alignment in the excitement around him forgot his tactics and military phrases, and 
went b.ick to his native element, the sailor, and was heard all over the line giving his 
commands: " Luff, boys, luff — steady, steady — luff, lufif — there, steady — now give 'em 
every shot in the locker." 

The following is an extract from the report of Captain Charles Waitr "The regiment 
was engaged at Cold Harbor June 3d, and charged the enemy's works in our front, car- 
rying his first line with heavy loss, but holding the position until about 10 ['. M., when 
it was relieved and withdrawn to the second line. In this engagement, Major .Moody 
received a wound which caused his death. The loss of this ga.lant officer is deeply 
mourned in the regimeiU. Though suffering from illness and a wound received in the 
Wilderness, he had steadily remained at his post of duty, on all occasions manifesting 
rare courage and entire devotiou to the cause in which he yielded up his lire." 

THE TWENTY-EIGHTH INFANTRY. 

The 28th, raised and rendezvoused at ^Marshall, under the direction of 
the Hon. S. S. Lacy as conmiandant of camp, left the State for the field in 
Teimessee October 26, 1864, under the comnumd of Lieut. Col. Delos Phil- 
lil)s. It arrived at Louisville, Ky., on the 29th, and on November 10th it 
was ordered to Camp Nelson, Ky., for the purpose of guarding a wagon 
train from that ])oint to Nashville, where it arrived on the 5th of Decem- 
ber, and was assigned to temporary duty at that post. The advance of 
Hood ( n Nashville soon brought tlie 28t"h to face the realities of war, and 
under command of Col. W. W. Wheeler, participated in the defence of that 
place by General Thomas, from the 12th to the 16th of that month, when 
it fully established a reputati(m as a gallant fighting regiment, and at once 
reached the uniform high standard of ^Michigan troops. 



406 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

After the battle of Nashville the regiment was attached to the 23d corps, 
which was soon after sent to the Atlantic seaboard to constitute a part of 
the f)rce concentrating in the vicinity of Wilmington intended toco-operate 
with General Sherman's army on its approach to the coast. The regiment 
belonged to the 2d brigade, 1st division, (Ruger's,) «'uid arrived at JNIore- 
head City February 24, 1865, and on IMarch 2d moved with its division 
towards Kingston, and joined General Cox. Meeting the enemy at Wise 
Forks, the 28th, commanded by Col. AVheeler, took an active part in the 
battles of the 8th, 9th, and lOtli, at that point. On the 8th the regiment 
was engaged in heavy skirmishing during that entire day and the night 
following. On the 9th the enemy pressed Cox's lines strongly, without 
making an assault, and at the same time attempted to turn his right, but 
failed on account of a prompt reinforcement, of which the 28th formed a 
part. On the morning of the 10th the enemy made a fierce and determined 
charge upon the left, breaking the lines, but were repulsed. The brigade 
to which the 28th belonged charged the rebels on the double-quick, driving 
them back, and taking over three hundred prisoners, among whom were 
several field ofiicers. About two o'clock the same day they made a heavy 
and desperate onset on the left and centre of General Cox, but most signally 
failed, the point having been sti-ongly and promptly reinforced from the 
right. The 28th, with its brigade, being among the first to arrive, fought 
the enemy most gallantly for about two hours, when they were most deci- 
sively repulsed, leaving their dead and wounded and a large number of 
prisoners, and during the night they fell back across the Neuse, burning 
the bridge in their rear. 

In this spirited engagement the regiment lost Lieut. Mathew Holmes and 
six men killed, and thirteen wounded. 

Continuing the march, the regiment reached Kingston on the 14th, and 
Goldsboro' on the 21st, when the brigade was placed on duty guarding the 
line of the Atlanta and North Carolhui railroad. On the 9th of Ai)ril the 
regiment marched again to Goldsboro', and on the 18th arrived at Raleigh, 
and after the cessation of hostilities was engaged on duty at Goldsboro', 
Raleigh, Charlotte, Lincolntown, Wilmington, and Newbern, until June 5, 
1866, when it was mustered out of service. 

Lieut. John E. Kenyon died February 2, 1866, of wounds received Jan- 
uary 27th previous, while arresting murderers in Pitt county, N. C. 



THE TWENTY-NINTH INFANTRY. 

When the rebel General Hood was on his Northern campaign in 1864, 
for the purpose of overrunning Tennessee, getting possession of Nashville 
and Louisville, and threatening the cities on the Ohio river, the 29tli Mich- 
igan, (recruited and rendezvoused under the supervision of the Hon. John 
F. Driggs, i\[. C.,) under command of Colonel Thomas M. Taylor, was 
stationed at Nashville, where it had arrived from Michigan October od ; 
and on the advance of Hood upon Decatur, Ala., it was sent forward to 
that point, arriving there on the 26th, just in time to march from the cars 
to its position in line, to meet the advance of Hood's forces, then attacking 
that place. Col. Charles C. Doolittle, of the 18th INIichigan, was in com- 
maiul of the post (}f Decatur, and for some days previous to the 26th had 
been watching the movements of Hood's army, as well as those of Forrest 
and Roddey, and had scouted the surrounding country as thoroughly as 
possible. On the morning of the 26th he sent out several detachments on 



THE TWENTY-NINTH INFANTRY. 407 

the Sommerville and Courtland roads, one of which met a pretty strong 
force about three miles out on the Sonimerville road, and was obliged to 
retire. Not expecting the advance of Hood's army, for a day or two at 
least, Col. Doolittle was of the opinion that it might be a scouting party of 
Roddcy's command ; but, at half past one o'clock P. M., on the same day, 
his videttes reported the enemy advancing on the place. He immediately 
made preparations for action, and rode to the advance post on the Som- 
merville road, and on seeing the enemy's c(»lumns forming into line with 
skii'iiiishers out, he ordered the 2d Teiniessee cavalry to hold the enemy in 
check, and then hurried back to headquarters, and made the necessary dis- 
position of his force to meet the coming attack. 

Battery A, 1st Tennessee light artillery, su])ported by the reserve picket 
of the l<Sth JNIichigan that had been ordered up, soon got into position in a 
small redoubt commanding the Sommerville road and vicinity, and at once 
opened fire on the enemy's line of battle. The 10th Indiana cavalry had 
also been ordered up, and was engaged at various points looking after and 
checking the advance of the enemy. Finding that he could hold the rebels 
in check. Col. Doolittle, about twenty minutes after the artillery opened fire, 
ordered tho right wing of the 29th JNIichigan, which had just arrived by rail 
from Kashvilie and been placed behind the breastAvorks on the left flank, 
to move to the front and occupy the line of rifle-pits on the left of the re- 
doubt. This they accomplished in the most gallant style under a hot fire 
from the enemy's artillery and musketry, which they withstood with firm- 
ness. Soon after the other wing of the regiment was ordered out, and one 
hundred of the men, in command of the major, was sent to what was known 
as Fort No. 1. Battery I, 1st Ohio light artillery, had been ordered for- 
ward nnd opened on the enemy, the fight continuing until dark, the rebels 
being unnble to gain any advance, notwithstanding he made several attempts 
to charge the line. Col. Doolittle then withdrew the advance force inside 
the maiu works, leaving one hundred men of the 29th IMichigan to strengthen 
the' picket line and hold the line of the rifle-pits. In the engagement of 
this day the pickets on the Union line, from the redouI)t to the river on the 
right, remained in their position, and when night came the picket line was 
in tact. It was ascertained that the attack was made by Walthal's divi- 
sion, 5,000 strong, of Stewart's corps. Hood's army, and were fought by Col. 
Doolittle with less than 500 men and a small amount of artillery. During 
the night of the 26th the Union forces were receiving reinforcements, and 
on the 27th nothing more important occurred than the driving back of the 
enemy's skirmishers on the front and right flank. On the 28th, about 3 A. 
M., the enemy drove iu a portion of the pickets on the right, and established 
themselves in gopher holes within four hundred yards of the works. An 
attemi)t was made early in the morning to dislodge them and re-establish 
the line, but the enemy were too well protected to be moved. Some time 
afterwards they were surprised by Capt. AV. C. Moore, 18th IMichigan, with 
about fifty men of that regiment and a few clerks and orderlies from district 
headipKvrters, who nuide a most daring and dashing attack on them, driving 
them from their holes like scared rats, and taking 115 prisoners. During 
the day the battle became general, the Union troojis having been reiuf ireed 
and numhering about 5,000, had made a most determined defence ; and 
early on the morning of the 29th it was ascertained that the enemy's f )rccs 
had all been withdrawn except a strong rear guard, and at about 4 P. M. 
he was driven out of his last line of rifle-i)its. 

The noble and successful defence of Decatur by Col. Doolittle against 
such enormous odds was among the most gallant and remarkable of the 



408 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

war, and its importance, in view of its effect upon the great battle of Nash- 
ville which soon followed, was second to no minor engagement during the 
rebellion. 

The exemplary conduct, vigorous and splendid fighting of Col. Taylor's 
regiment and his officers, although less than a month in the field, could 
scarcely have been excelled by long tried veterans. 

On the 31st of October, 1864, this regiment was stationed at Decatur, 
Ala., garrisoning that place until November 24th, when it marched to Mur- 
freesboro', Tenn. ; arriving there on the 27th, it composed a part of the force 
at that point during the siege of Nashville and jNIurfreesboro' by the enemy 
under Hood, and was engaged with the enemy on the 7tli of December at 
Overall creek. On the 13th it was sent out as the escort of a railroad train 
to procure fuel, when it was attacked by a superior force of infantry and 
artillery near Winchester Church, when a severe battle ensued, in which 
the enemy was repulsed with loss, the regiment losing seventeen killed, 
wounded, and missing. The enemy having taken up the track, the regiment 
succeeded in relaying it under fire and saved the train, bringing it into 
Murfreesboro' by hand after the engine had been disabled by a shell. On 
the 15th and 16th, while guarding a fijrage train at Alexandria, near Mur- 
freesboro', it became engaged with two brigades of the enemy's cavalry on 
the Shelbyville Pike with slight loss, and was also engaged at Nolansville 
on the 17th. In the affair on the 15th Lieut. Frederick Van Vliet ^yas 
killed. On the 27th it was moved by rail to Anderson, and was assigned to 
duty guarding the Nashville and Chattanooga railroad ; remaining there 
until July following, it moved to Dechard and thence to Murfreesboro', ar- 
riving there on the 19th, and was employed on garrison duty until Septem- 
ber 6th, when it was mustei-ed out of service, and on the 8th left for Michi- 
gan, arriving on the 12th at Detroit, where it was paid off and discharged. 

The 30th regiment was raised under authority from the War Department 
for special service on the Michigan frontier, its term of service being for one 
year; and by orders from this Department dated November 7, 1864, its re- 
cruitment commenced, under the direction of Col. G. S. Wormer, with ren- 
dezvous at Jackson, which was afterwards changed to Detroit, where the 
organization was completed January 9, 1865. The companies were staticm- 
ed at different points along the Detroit and St. Clair rivers and in other 
parts of the State, as follows : A and B at Fort Gratiot, D at St. Clair, F, 
at Wyandotte, K at Jackson, H at Fenton, G in Detroit, and C, F, and I- 
at Detroit Barracks. The regimental headquarters were for some time at 
Jackson, then at Detroit, and on January 24th were removed to Fort Gra- 
tiot. The regiment continued on duty at those points untiljune 30th, when 
it was mustered out of service. 



THE COLORED REGIMENT. 

The only Michigan colored regiment in the war was thel02dU.S., raised 
by Col. Ilenry Barns, of Detroit, organized by Lieut. C\)l. W. T. liennett, 
and in IMarch, 1864, took the field in command of C'olonel II. L. Chipman, 
then a captain in the regular army, who had procured a leave of absence 
for tliiit purpose. The regiment first faced the enemy at lialdwin, Florida, 
in August following, where it was suddenly attacked l)y a force of rebel cav- 
alry, which it easily repulsed and scattered, and by its splendid conduct on 
that occasi(Ui fully convinced its ofiicers of the reliable and gallant fighting 
qualities of their men. But these qualities were more fully manifested at 



THE COLORED REGIMENT. 409 

Honey Hill, S. C, on November oOth following, at Tillifinny December 7th, 
and at Devereax Neck on the 9th hy adctaclnneut of the regiment, consist- 
ing of twelve officers and tliree hnndred men, that had been sent from Beau- 
fort to ynn the forces of General Foster. This detachment was commanded 
by Capt. IMontaguc, Col. Cliipman being in conmiand of a brigade. At the 
points named the officers and men referred to, most gallantly engaged a su- 
perior force of the enemy, .^^ustaining an aggregate loss in these afl'airs of 
sixty-live in killed and wounded; Ca[)t. A. E. Lindsey being among the 
killed and Lieut. 11. 11. Alvord among the severely wounded. 

From the 11th to the 18th April, 1865, the right wing, in command of 
Col. Chipman, was engaged on a most hazardous and daring expedition from 
Charleston, S. C, to join General Potter on the Santee river, striking it at 
Nelson's Ferry, distant about seventy miles. The march was made through 
the country held by the enemy, the command subjected to great danger of 
attack from superior force, and of being cut off from all reinforcements and 
overwhelmed, enduring much hardshi]) and fatigue, and meeting a large 
body of the enemy's cavalry, which, alter a brisk and vigorous fight, were 
driven olf. Encountering the rebels again «)n the 18th, while on the march 
in the direction of Camden, a skirmish ensued. On the 19th the command 
succeeded in rejoining the left wing. 

Tiie left wing had marched from Georgetown on the 5th, commanded by 
^lajor Clark, with an expedition under command of General Potter. After 
much hard marching and considerable skirmishing with the enemy on the 
8th, 15tli, and 17th ; and on the 18th, near ^lanchcster, met the enemy ia 
force at Boykins, when, with the 54th Massachusetts colored inlantry, it 
flanked the rebels attacking them with much spirit and gallantry, driving 
them in great disorder in the direction of Statesburg. Next day the two 
wings again united, and under command of Col. Chipman, came up with 
the enemy near .Singleton's plantation, when a successful flank movement 
was made by the regiment, which resulted, after a most gallant brush, in 
forcing him to abandon a strong position, and in routing him most thor- 
oughly. 

Tlie regiment being encamped on the 20th and 21st, having companies 
A, B, and C (under comnumd of ^lajor Clark) on the picket line, on the 
morning of the 21st com)>any A was attacked by two hundred of the enemy, 
which it handsomely repulsed. At 12 M., on the 21st, the enemy sent in a 
flag of truce, with dispatches from General Beauregard, stating that Gen- 
erals Sherman and Johnston had cease hostilities, when the column marched 
back to Georgetown, arriving there on the 25th. 

On the 29th the regiment received orders to proceed to Charleston, and 
next day endnirked on transports, arriving at that point the same day, and 
went into camp on Charleston Neck, where it remained until May 7th, and 
then broke camp and marched for Summerville, and reaching there on the 
8th, encamped until the 18th, then proceeded l)y rail to Branchville, and 
thence, on the 25th, to Orangeburg, where it was engaged on provost guard 
and fatigue duty until July 28th, when it marched f )r Winnsboro', arriving 
there on the od of August, and during the remainder of that month was 
engaged on the same duties as at Orangeburg. Sometime in the month 
following the regiment returned to Charleston, where it was mustered out 
of service September oOth, and proceeded to jNIichigan, arriving on October 
17th at Detroit, where it was paid off and disbanded. 

While the regiment was cHgaged during its term of service in many other 
battles and skirmishes, and behaved well in every respect, the actions above 
referred to will always be recognized as prominent in its creditable history. 
Z * 



410 HISTORY OP MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

THE MILITIA GUARDS. 

Throughout the war the entire militia of the State consisted of three 
companies of the force known as the " State Troops :" — the " Scott Guard," 
" Detroit Light Guard," and the " Lyon Guard." 

The Scott Guard was originally organized at Detroit, October 11, 1861. 
Having tendered its services in response to the Governor's call for volun- 
teers, of April 17, 1861, the company was accepted as one of the uniformed 
militia companies, and was assigned as company A in the 2d infantry. 
Those members of the company who did not accompany the Guard at this 
time continued the organization under its old name. 

The Detroit Light Guard was organized November 16, 1865. This com- 
pany tendered its services in response to the Gcn'ernor's proclamation of 
April 17, 1861, calling fjr volunteers. It was accepted, and was assigned 
as company A in the Ist regiment of infantry, (three months' men.) Dur- 
ing the noted riot in the city of Detroit, on the 6th of IMareh, I860, it ren- 
dered efHcient service in preserving thepeace, guarding the jail, and patroll- 
ing the district where the disturbance occurred. 

The Lyon Guard was organized at Detroit October 3, 1861. On the 
occasion of the riot in Detroit (m the 6th of March, 1863, the company ren- 
dered material aid to the public authorities — patrolling the streets and 
otherwise assisting in preserving the peace. 

These companies maintained their organizaticm during the war, and ren- 
dered valuable service in guarding against raids by Southern rebel refugees 
from the borders of the provinces of Canada, threatened to be made from 
time to time on the city of Detroit and along the line. They were placed 
on duty as patrols and guards, and were found at all times ready for any 
service. Tiiey aided much in sustaining a feeling of security among the 
inhabitants during excitement consequent to the threatened raids referred to. 

Notwithstanding the great efficiency of IMichigan troops in the field during 
the recent war, her militia has always been extremely deficient, and is now 
scarcely deserving to be named as such, consisting of only six companies of 
State troops. 

In 1866, the Adjutant General of the State made a special report, under 
date of November 27th, to the Governor of the State on that subject, in 
which he says : 

" The Legislature of the State passed at its extra session of 1862 an act 
for the reorganization of the military forces of the State of Michigan, which 
was approved January 18, 1862. 

" Since the passage of the law referred to, and down to this date, only three 
companies have been mustered into the service of the State as State troops. 
These companies are in the city of Detroit, and were in existence long be- 
fore the passage of that law, so in fact none have been organized under its 
operations, and it is evident that so long as it remains as it is, none are 
likely to be. I have, therefore, thought it proper at this time to make a 
special report on that subject. 

"The national defence of the Republic, aside from its navy, consists of a 
small standing army and its militia. The former is acquired by V(»lunteer- 
iiig, and the latter by a general lial)ility, with some exemptions, of all men 
of i)r()per age iiud sullicicnt physical ability to serve, when required. 

" The militia, when well organized, equipped and disciplined, oifors the 
most acceptable and safest guarantee for national delence and domestic 
peace. It does not invite a desire to assume the offensive, yet is ever ready 
for the defensive. It is the army of the masses, and creates no special mil- 



THE MILITIA GUARDS. 411 

itary organization. It engenders no distinction between citizen and soldier, 
no antagonistic interests and aims between the people and the army, no 
false pride or selfish motive which seeks hostility only to obtain fame and 
military advancement. It guards alike the life and honor of the Nation, 
and the independence and liberty of the citizen, and does not exhaust or 
diminish the industrial resources of the country, nor does it endanger its 
freedom by j)laciug a great military power in the hands of one man, or a 
set of men, whose ambition or selfishness might lead them to usurp the Gov- 
ernment and abridge or destroy the liberties of the people, and it far more 
advances fhe national defence by possessing a greater numerical strength 
than any standing army which any nation could sustain. 

" It is obvious that the maintaining of a large standing army is not in 
keeping with the spirit of American institutions, nor will it ever receive the 
sanction of the people. The country will be willing only to sui)port such a 
permanent military force in time of peace as may be absolutely necessary 
for protecting its frontier and aiding the civil authority in the enforcement 
of the law. Therefore the main military strength of the Republic will be in 
its militia, and, such being the case, the maintaining thereof should be a 
fixed policy in every State in the Union, and to be effective and reliable 
should be j)ermanently and systematically organized. 

" It has been fully demonstrated during the late civil war that a well or- 
ganized and equipped militia is of the utmost importance, not only to the 
General Government, but to a State itself, being relied upon as the main 
national defence against foreign invasion and civil war, and to defend the 
State against hostile attacks on its borders, to maintain the enforcement of 
its laws when necessary, and to guarantee the peace and protect the lives 
and property of its people. Therefore it is unquestionably the interest of 
the State of Michigan to be prepared promptly and successfully to meet 
emergencies of that nature by a comjjlete enrollment and organization of its 
militia, and by maintaining a small active force of State troops well armed 
and equipped ready for service on the shortest notice possible. 

" On the outbreak of the recent rebellion few States were in a condition 
to render much service to the Government by their militia, and the greater 
proportion of them not any. This condition of affairs rose from the defec- 
tiveness of their militia system and the little attention that had been given 
to the proper organization of their State militia or State troops. 

" Yet, what little had been done in this respect proved to be of infinite 
value to the Government, as it is generally conceded that to the organiza- 
tion of State tro()})3 the nation was indebted at that time f )r the safety and 
preservation of its capital. The non-effective condition of the militia of the 
various States was, to a certain extent, excused by the country for the rea- 
son that there had been but little, if any, indications of a foreign war for a 
long period of years, and a rebellion against the Ciovernment had not been 
thought of; hence the States had been unthinkingly lulled into a state of 
security, although unwarranted in history. By the inauguration of the re- 
bellion and during its progress, however, that idea of security has been fully 
exploded, and a lesson \uis been taught by experience and at a great cost 
that it is necessary in peace to prepare for war, and that this maxim should 
l)e adhered to at all times. As it is questionable how far States will be held 
excusable hereafter, in view of the General Government trusting and de- 
pending upon them for action and prepai'ation in this matter, if not found 
ready on all occasions and under all circumstances to respond to the call 
of the country willi their projiortiou of well organized and equipped militia 
for the defence of the nation, it behooves them to give their attention to this 



412 HISTORY OF MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION. 

matter. Undoubtedly many of the States will be prepared, but should 
any be found deficient in this respect in any future contingency it will place 
them as States in a very unfavorable position before the country and the 
world ; one in which, it is hoped, Michigan will not be found, as she can ill 
aflbrd to lose her deservedly high reputation acquired during the past strug- 
gle by any failure on her part of this description." 

With these remarks, our history of Michigan during the Rebellion, is 
brought to a conclusion. 



THIRD PART. 

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 



Abbott, James. His father, bearinp: the same name, ■was a native of 

Irchiud, and established himself in the wilds of Michigan as a fur-trader, 
before the Declaration of Independence; and the son was born in Detroit in 
1775, He commenced active life by following the same business of his 
father; was postmaster of Detroit from 1808 until 1827, excepting when 
the English were in possession ; was for many years Receiver of public 
moneys for the Land Office in Detroit ; served as a quartermaster-general 
in the war of 1812 ; as major of militia in 18o5 ; also as a judge for several 
years of the Court of Common Pleas ; and died in Detroit, full of honors, 
March 12, 18o8. 



Allen, John. He was born in Rockbridge county, Va., December 

30, 1772; went with his father to Kentucky in 1780; was educated at a 
school kept in Bardstown ; and after studying law in Staunton, Va., returned 
to Kentucky, and began the practice of his profession in Shelbyville. He 
was fullowing it successfully there at the time the war broke out in 1812, 
when he raised a regiment of riflemen for service under General Harrison. 
He was killed, while in the performance of his duty, under trying circum- 
stances, at the massacre of Frenchtown, on the River Raisin, January 22, 
1813. His name was given to one of the prominent counties of Kentucky; 
and the historian, McAfee, when mentioning the fact that he was shot down 
by an Indian, says: — "The savage had the houor of shooting one of the 
first and greatest citizens of Kentucky." 



Allouez, Claude. He was a Jesuit missionary, who visited Lake 

Superior in 1GG5. He went as far west as Point Keweenaw, and spent a 
considerable time in a fruitless search for copper; and then continuing hia 
journey to La Poiute, the ancient residence of the Ojibwas, where he estab- 
lished a mission, and astonished the natives with pictorial representations 
of He'll and the Judgment Day. He spent about two years in that locality, 
instructing the different tribes of the Northwest, and collecting information 
about the country and people west of Lake Superior. In 1067 he returned 
to Quebec to procure assistance in his field of labor, and to urge the plant- 
ing of a French colony in that remote region. He was successful, and two 
days alter his arrival, he began his return to La Pointe, accompanied by 
competent assistants. In 1009 he founded a mission at Green Bay, where 



416' BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

he endured many hardships ; and ■whatever his merits may have heen, it is 
certain that he and La Salle ^verc not on good terms, it being asserted that 
he intrigued against the explorer. In 1671 we find him stationed at the 
Saute de Ste. JMarie, where he delivered a curious speech to the Indians, 
which will be found translated in Parkmau's " Discovery of the Great 
West." According to one of his published letters, lie said that the Indians 
called Lake Michigan Machihiganing. The last that we know of him is, 
that in 1G87 he was at St. Louis, on the Mississippi. "While confined to 
his bed by illness, on hearing that La Salle was approaching that region, 
he stole away from the mission, and disappeared, as if to shun a meeting 
with the man he had injured. 



Adam, John J. He was among the earlier emigrants to the Territory 

of Michigan ; a lawyer by profession ; and on several occasions was elected 
to the State Legislature. In 1837 he was appointed a Hegent of the Uni- 
versity of Michigan, which position he resigned in 1840; in 1842 he was 
elected State Treasurer; in 1845, and fi*om 1848 until 1850, he was Auditor- 
General of the State; and from 1844 to 1846, and again from 1848 until 
1851, he was Treasurer of the University of Michigan. 



Adams, L. B. She was the daughter of John Bryan, who emigrated 

to Michigan from New York in 1823, and was born in the latter State in 
1818. lier early education was obtained through private tutors. Slie was 
married in 1841^ to James R. Adams, who was an editor at "White Pigeon 
and Kalamazoo, and died in 1847 ; in 1848 she went to Kentucky as a 
teacher, where she remained three years, and then returned to Michigan, 
and was for several years a reguln.r writer for the press, especially the De- 
troit Advertiser and the Michigan Farmer, and also for the New York Tribune. 
Finding that her literary labors were injuring her health, she obtained a 
position in the Museum of the Agricultural Department in AVashington, 
where she was associated with the Commissioners Isaac Newton and Horace 
Capron, and Professor Townend Glover, all of whom highly appreciated 
her services, and she died in "\'Vashingtou city on the 28th of June, 1870, 
deeply lamented. She was a writer of graceful verse, and many of her 
poetic productions were associated with her much loved Michigan and the 
Valley of St. Joseph. 



Anderson, John. He was born in Scotland, but emigrated to Canada 

when quite a young man, and, after spending some little time in JMontreal, 
settled on the River liaisin, in IMichigan, as an Indian trader about the 
year 1805. During the war of 1812 he was captured by the British and 
Indians, but made his escape and went with his family to Dayton, Ohio. 
He was a brave man, a good citizen and patriot, and one whom everybody 
loved and respected. lie filled with credit many local offices of honor and 
trust; exerted great influence among the early settlers in and about French- 
town ; and as he could speak not less than eleven Indian dialects and thor- 
oughly understood the Indian character, he did much, after the war, to make 
the tribes of IMichigan peaceable and friendly. He was for many years an 
elder in the Presbyterian Church, and died at Monroe in 1841, leaving one 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 417 

son, Alexander Anderson, who was a lawyer and an accomplished man, and 
who also died a few years ago. lie had a daughter who became the wife 
of Warner Win":. 



AuouR, CiiRiSTOPiiEii Colon. He was born in New York, but, hav- 
ing taken up his residence in Michigan, he was appointed a cadet at West 
Point Irom that State in 18o9. His first service was on Lake Ontario, from 
1842 to 1<S45; he was on duty in Texas when the Mexican war broke out, 
and after participating in the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma 
and serving as a staff ofKccr during the war was made a cajjtain ; he was 
subsequently stationed in Florida, on the Niagara, at Fort Columbus, in 
California, at Fort Vancouver, in Oregon, and fought against the Indians 
in Washington Territory. When the rebellion commenced he was on duty 
as an instructor at West Point; was made brigadier general of volunteers 
and stationed at Washington ; was engaged at P^redericksburg and in the 
Shennandoah Valley ; had command of the Fifth Army Corps at Cedar 
Mountain and severely wounded ; was made brevet colonel in the regular 
army fir gallant and meritoiious services ; was next on duty in New Orleans 
and at Port Hudson, and Avas made major general of volunteers for gallant 
and meritorious services; in I860 he was phiced in command of the military 
department of Washington ; and in 1867 'was assigned to the command of 
the department of the Platte, where he is serving at the present time. 



Bacon, Daniel S. He was among the earliest emigrants from the 

Eastern States to the Territory of JMichigan, and for Avell nigh half a cen- 
tury was a resident of Mt)nroe. He was born in Onondaga, New York, in 
1798, commenced his career as a school teacher on the Iliver Raisin in 1822 ; 
paid considerable attention to farming; subsecpiently formed a partnership 
with Levi S. Humphrey in the prosecuticm of various kinds of business ; 
and then adopted the j)rofcssion of law, which he ])racticed with success. 
He was at one time a member of the Legislative Council of the Territory; 
judge of probate, which he held for many years; j)resident of the Bank of 
Monroe, and also a director of the Michigan Southern Railroad Company. 
Ho also held a number of other local positions, in all of which he acquitted 
himself with ability and a dignified bearing, ever maintaining a pure char- 
acter, which made him one of the most popular men of his time. He died 
in Monroe jNIay 18, 1866, at an advanced age, and will long be remembered 
by troops of friends for his great personal and moral wortii, and as a true 
friend of his adopted State. At the time of his death he held the office of 
judge of probate for the county of Monroe. 



Bacon, David. He was the father of the eminent Rev. Dr. Leonard 

Bacon, of New Haven, and was sent out as a missionary in 1800 by the 
Connecticut Missionary St)ciety, and commenced his mission in Detroit, 
where he remained two years. His next field of operations was on the Mii,u- 
mee, from which locality he removed to the island of ^lackinaw, and f^^ra 
that place he returned to Detroit. In his first journey to the West ho i|\)ypt 
ou foot from Hartford to BuflUlo, carrying a pack on his back. A^t*f^:t a 



418 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

year's sojourn in Michigan lie returned to Hartford, married a Avife, and 
started a second time for the Western wilderness. While pursuing his avo- 
cations in Michigan his favorite mode of travelling was by the birch canoe; 
and it was while he was residing in Detroit that his distinguished son was 
born. Rev. David Bacon was also the founder of the town of Tallmadge, in 
Ohio, Avhere, we believe, he closed his life. He was one of those men who 
are called visionary and enthusiastic by men of more prosaic and plodding 
temperament. He had not a liberal education, but was a man of eminent 
intellectual powers and of intensely thoughtful habits, and really coveted 
the self-denying labors to which he subjected himself for the honor of his 
Divine Master. 



Bagg, John S. -He was born in Lanesborough, Berkshire county, 

Massachusetts, in 1809; when fifteen years of age he went to Oneida county. 
New York, where he acquired an academical education ; he then studied 
law, and came to the bar of that State in 1835. In 1836 he removed to 
Michigan and took up his residence in Detroit; and having at once pur- 
chased of Sheldon McKnight the i^ree Press newspaper, entered upon the 
career of an editor and politician, which he maintained with ability and a 
high reputation until his death, which occurred in Detroit on the 10th of 
March, 1870, In 1837 the Free Press establishment was destroyed by fire, 
and he lost all he pc^ssessed, but he Avas a man of rare energy, and soon 
worked out of all his difficulties, and was subsequently prosperous in all his 
business pursuits. The Free Press has long been considered the leading 
Democratic journal of the State, and among those who were associated with 
its leading editor and proprietor at different times may be mentioned Silas 
Bagg, Henry Barnes, A. Smith Bagg, and John H. Harmon. He was a 
warm personal friend of President Polk, by whoih he was appointed Post- 
master of Detroit, which position he held for f)ur years ; and by President 
Buchanan he was appointed Marshal for the District of IMichigan and held 
that office for three years. For several years before his death his health 
was infirm, and he endured his long-continued sufferings with the fortitude 
of a Christian, and when he died, was lamented by a large circle of attached 
friends. 



Baldwin, Henry P. He was born in Coventry, Rhode Island, Feb- 
ruary 22, 1814; was left an orphan when a boy, and after receiving a good 
education was a mercantile clerk at Pawtucket for eight years before be- 
coming of age, after which he was engaged for several years in business on 
his own account in Woonsocket. In 1838 he emigrated to Detroit, and, 
identifying himself with the interests of ^lichigan, became President of the 
Second National Bank of Detroit ; was for two years a State Senator ; and 
he was elected Governor of IMichigan for the term commencing with 1809 
and ending with the year 1870, to which position he brought a full store of 
general information gathered from foreign travel and the study of men and 
books. It is due to his Excellency, moreover, to state that for much of the 
information contained in tliis volume the compiler is indebted to him — for a 
variety of important documents bearing upon the condition of the State, 
over which he has presided with acknowledged ability. Re-elected in 1870 
for a second term. 



BIOGRAPHICAL niSTORY OF MICHIGAN. 419 

Barry, John S. He was born in Vermont in 1802 ; was educated at 

tlie public scliools of that State; and wliile a young man went to Georgia 
and resided for a number of years at Athinta. He subsequently emigrated 
to the Territory of IMichigan and settled in the town of Constantino, where 
he resided until his death. Although educated for the legal profession, he 
turned his attention to mercantile pursuits. His first public service was 
rendered as a member of the first Constitutional Convention, in which, as 
the records show, he took a leading part ; upon the organization of the State 
Government he was elected a State Senator, and in 1841 he was chosen 
Governor of the State and re-elected in 1843, and also in 1849. He was 
also, on two occasions, a Presidential Elector. In 1840 he took a special 
interest in the cultivation of the sugar beet, and with a view of obtaining 
information in regard to its manufacture visited Europe. His last public 
service was as a member of the Democratic Presidential Convention held 
in Chicago in 1864. He was Governor of Michigan during the period of 
lier greatest financial troubles, and, although an active politician, ho ever 
maintained a high character for integrity and fidelity to the welfare of the 
State. He died in Constantine January 15, 1870. 



Baldwin, Augustus C. Was born in Salina, New York, December 

24, 1817 ; received a common-school education, and having lost his father 
when young, became dependent upon his own efforts for support ; in 1837 
he emigrated to Michigan and settled in Oakland county ; studied law, and 
at the same time taught school, and came to the bar in 1842. In 1844 and 
1846 he was elected to the Legislature of Michigan ; in 1853 and 1854 was 
Prosecuting Attorney for his adopted county ; was a delegate to the Charles- 
ton and Baltimore Conventions of 1860; and in 1862 he was elected a 
representative from Michigan to the Thirty-eighth Congress, serving on the 
Committees on Agriculture and Expenditures in the Interior Department. 
Was a delegate to the Chicago Convention in 1864, and to the Philadel- 
phia "National Union Convention" of 1866, 



Bates, Asiier B. He was one of the early settlers in Detroit after 

^Michigan became a Territory, and a lawyer by profession. After holding 
the office of Recorder for some years, he was, in 1'838, on the resignation 
of Augustus S. Porter, made ]\Iayor of Detroit. In 1855 he was appointed 
a commissioner by the General Government to prosecute certain business 
in the Sandwich Islands, after Avhich he became a subject of the ICing of 
those islands, was raised to the dignity of Attorney-General, and has ever 
since continued to reside in that remote region. 



Bayfield, Henry Wolsey. Although a native of England, this dis- 
tinguished man has long been highly esteemed by the people of Michigan, 
on account of his services as the most successful marine surveyor of the 
Great Lakes which form the eastern and northern boundaries of the State. 
He entered the English navy in 1806, shared with Lord Cochrane in the 
attack on the French fleet in 1809, saw much service in the waters of the 
West Indies, South America, and Portugal, and in 1814 took command of 



420 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

a gun-boat on the Great Lakes. In 1815 he was assigned to the duty of 
surveying Lake Ontario; in 1817 was appointed Admiralty Surveyor, and 
from that year until 1823 he was engaged in surveying Lakes Erie and 
Huron ; and then pr(jceeded to survey Lake Superior, which he accom- 
plished in the schooner Recovery, of one hundred and fifty tons, at that 
time the only vessel on the lake. In 1825 he returned to England and pre- 
pared a series of charts of his American work, which have ever since been 
the leading authorities among all the people of Canada and the Northwest. 
In 1827 he returned to Canada and completed a survey of the River and 
Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Avas the first man to make known tlie Avondei's 
of the river Saguenay, In 1834 he became a Captain, and in 185G a Rear 
Admiral, and for many years past has spent much of his time in promoting 
the cause of science in connection with the learned societies of Canada and 
England, in Avhich latter country he is believed to be living in the enjoy- 
ment of his exalted reputation. 



Beaman, Fernando C. He was born in Chester, Windsor county, 

Vermont, June 28, 1814 ; removed with his father to New York when a 
boy, and left an orphan at the age of fifteen; received a good English 
education at the Franklin County Academy; studied law in Rochester; 
removed to Michigan in 1838, and commenced the practice of his profes- 
sion ; was for six years Prosecuting Attorney for Lenawee county ; was 
Judge of Probate for f lur years ; was a Presidential Elector in 185(3 ; and 
iu 18G0 was elected a Representative from Michigan to the Thirty-seventh 
Congress, serving on the Committee on Roads and Canals. Re-elected to 
the Thirty-eighth Congress, and served on the same committee, and also on 
that on Territories. Re-elected to the Thirty-ninth C'ongress, serving on 
the Committees on Territories, the Death of President Lincoln, and Frauds 
on the Revenue, and as chairman of tliat on Roads and Canals. He Avas 
also a delegate to the Philadel])hia "Loyalists' Convention" of 18(50, and 
re-elected to the Fortieth Congress, serving on the C(mimittees on Recon- 
struction and Appropriations ; also re-elected to the Forty-first Congress. 



BiDDLE, John. He was born in Philadeli)hia; was a Major in the 

war of 1812, acquitting himself with bravery; lield tlie position of Paymas- 
ter in the army ; also that of Indian Agent ; and was a Delegate to Congress 
fi'om the Territory of IMichigan from 1829 to 1831, when he was appointed 
Register of the Land Office at Detroit, Michigan. For some years before 
his death he had been travelling in Europe, and died at the White Suljjhur 
Springs, Virginia, August 25, 1859, aged about seventy years. He was a 
man of literary culture, and wrote many interesting i)apers bearing upon 
the liistory of Detroit as well as the State of Michigan, some of which were 
published in a small volume, jointly with others, many years ago. 



Bingham, Kinsley S. He was born at Camillas, Onondaga county. 

New York, December 1(3, 1808 ; received a fair academic education ; taught 
school for a time at Bennington, Vermont; spent three years in the office 
of a lawyer as clerk ; emigrated to Michigan in 1833, and settled upon a 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 421 

farm; he was elected to tlie ^Michigan Legislature in 1835, and was five 
years a member of that body ; three years elected Speaker ; lie was a Kepre- 
sentative in Congress from ^Rlichigan irom 1847 to 1851, and served on the 
Committee on Commerce; and was elected Governor of Michigan in 1854 
and 185G. He also held in other years the oflices of postmaster, super- 
visor, prosecuting attorney, judge of probate, and brigadier-general of militia. 
In 1859 he was elected a Senator in Congress from ^lichigan for six years. 
Died at Oak Grove, Livingston county, Michigan, October 5, 1861. 



Bishop, Levi. He was born in Ilussell, fLxmpden county, ]\Iassachu- 

setts, October 15, 1815 ; received a good common school education ; in his 
fifteenth year, he became an apprentice-clerk in a leather manufactory, where 
he remained until 1886, when he removed to Michigan, and continued his 
business for ihur years in Detroit. In 1839, while in the act of firing a 
salute, as a member of a volunteer company, he lost his right arm; soon 
after that accident he began the study of law, and on comph'ting a course 
of three years was admitted to the bar of IMichigan ; in 1842 he was elected 
a justice of the peace; and in 1846 he became a member of the Detroit 
Board of Education, serving as such twelve years, and much of that time 
as its i)resident. In 1857 he was elected a Regent of the State University, 
holding the position for six years ; and 'in 1860 he visited Europe, and 
enjoyed the advantages of being a good French scholar. Always a hard 
student, and earnestly devoted to his profession, he occasionally delivered 
a lecture on literary topics and amused himself by writing poetry ; in 1864 
he jiublished a poem entitled " The Dignity of Labor," and in 1870, in very 
superior style, a more ambitious work in twenty-eight cantos, entitled "Teu- 
chsa Grondie" dev()ted to the romantic Indian lore of the river Detroit, 
and surrounding country. 



Blackmax, Daniel. He was born in Newtown, Fairfield county, 

Connecticut, December 31, 1821 ; received an academical education, and 
as his oj)portunities would permit taught a country school ; and, having 
studied law, was admitted to the bar at Fairfield in 1845. For six years 
thereafter he practiced his profcssi(jn in Danbury, and in 1851 he removed 
to ^lichigan, and located himself in Cassopolis. On the death of Nathaniel 
Bacon, of Niles, who died in November, 1869, he was nominated to fill the 
vacancy as judge of the Circuit Court of the second circuit, on a people's 
ticket, and, although a Democrat in politics, he was duly elected. 



Blair, Austin. Was born in Caroline, Tompkins county, New York, 

February 8, 1818; graduated at Union College in 1839 ; studied law, and, 
removing to Michigan, practiced the professitm in that State. After hold- 
ing the local offices of county clerk of EiUon county, and prosecuting attor- 
ney f )r Jackson county, he was elected t;> the Legislature, and afterwards 
to the Senate of the State; was Governor of Michigan from 1861 to 1865, 
and took an important part in assisting to put down the rebellion; and in 
1866 he was elected a Representative from tiiat State to the Fortieth Con- 
gress, serving ou the Committees on Foreign Affairs, Rules, and Militia. 



422 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

He was also re-elected to the Forty-first and Forty-second Congresses, serv- 
ing, during the former, on important committees. He resides in the city of 
Jackson. 



Boise, James R. He was for ten years or more professor of Greek in 

the University of IMichigan ; after wliich he removed to Illinois, and held a 
similar position in the University of Chicago. He is the author of several 
text-books for colleges, among which is a Gfeek Prose Composition, adapted 
to the first book of Xenophon's Anabasis, which was well received by the 
learned public. Further particulars, the compiler has been unable to pro- 



BoNAVENTURE, FATHER. He was a priest of the order of St. Francis; 

served as a missionary on the Detroit station in the forepart of the eigh- 
teenth century; gave the name of St. Anne to the French parish at Detroit, 
and also to the old French church, which long stood a memorable relic of 
a former age on the site of the present French church in the' same city. 
Further information respecting his life has been sought for in vain. 



Bradley, Edward. He Avas born in East Bloomfield, Ontario county, 

New York, in April, 1808 ; spent his boyhood on a farm ; when twenty- 
eight years of age he was appoined Associate Judge of the Common Pleas 
of that county; in 1839 he removed to Michigan, and ejigaged in the prac- 
tice of law; in 1842 he was elected to the Senate of ]\Iichigan ; and was a 
Representative from that State to the Thirtieth Congress. He died in New 
York city, while on a tour for the benefit of his health, August 5, 1847. 



Brady, Hugh. He was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylva- 
nia, in 1768 ; entered the army as an ensign in 1792 ; served as a lieutenant 
under General Wayne in his campaign against the Indians on thelMaumee; 
was made a lieutenant in 1794 ; a captain in 1799 ; and as a colonel dis- 
tinguished himself at the battles of Ch'ppeway and Niagara Falls, in the 
last of which he was wounded ; in 1822 he was promoted to the ranlc of 
brigadier general for ten years' faithful service. He also took part in the 
war with Mexico, and for meritorious conduct he was made a major general 
in 1848. He was for many years stationed in Detroit, and died in that city 
April 15, 1851, universally regretted. A township in the State, as well as 
a fort at the Saute de Ste. Marie, were named after him. The inmiediate 
cause of his death was an accident, by which he was injured, while riding 
his iiorse, whose feet became entangled in a roll of wire. He left a manu- 
script journal of his services and adventures while with General Wayne, 
which has been pronounced of great value. 



Brock, Isaac. He was born in the island of Guernsey October 6, 

1709 ; educated at Rotterdam ; and in his fifteenth year he became, by 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 423 

purchase, an ensign in the British army. By the year 1799 he had risen to 
the rank of lieutenant cohjnel and distinguished himself in Holland, where 
he was wounded. In 1801 he was on duty in the Baltic, and in 1802 sailed 
for Canada ; in 1S06, as colonel, he was ])laced in command of troops in the 
two Provinces of Canada; and in 1810 he hecame a major general. The 
crowning event of his life, as claimed ])y Henry J. INIorgan, was his visit to 
Andicrstburg with two hundred and fifty militia and the taking of Detroit 
in 1812, and for Avhich service he was made a Knight of the Bath ; but the 
greatness of this exploit was considerably modified by Sir Allan ISIcNab in 
1859, when he confessed that it was on account of the "imposing advance" 
of Brock on Detroit " that the terrified garrison, the fort, the guns, and mu- 
nitions of war were all surrendered at Detroit." He was a man of many 
n()l)lc personal qualities, and th(tugh unfortunate in losing his life at the 
battle ofQueenstown on the loth of October, 1812, a monument was erected 
to his memory on the banks of the St. Lawrence, and he is remember^^d by 
the people of Canada with high regard and affection 



Brooke, George Mercer. He was born in Virginia and entered the 

army from that State as First Lieutenant in 1808 ; and from 1842 to 1845 
he was on duty in IMichigan at the Detroit Barracks, with which city he 
was closely identified, both officially and socially. He served under Gene- 
ral Scott in the war with Great Britain, and was promoted in 1814 to the 
rank of Brevet Colonel for his gallantry at Fort Erie, where he was wound- 
ed ; in 1824 he was nuide a Brigadier General by brevet for ten years' faith- 
i'lil services in the Northwest aiul in Florida; and in 1848, for inijiortant 
duties performed in connection with the jMexican war, he was promoted to 
the rank of Brevet Major General. It was while serving on the Northern 
frontier that he performed an act of rare heroism. The American and Eng- 
lish armies were facing each other, and one night it was found that the lat- 
ter were erecting a battery. Precisely where, none could tell, and then it 
was that Lieut. Brooke took a lantern under his arm, threw a cloak over 
his shoulders, and went in j)ursuit of the battery, leaving directions behind 
him that when the comnumding officer saw his lamp in the top of a tree he 
might open fire. He succeeded in his plan, and in a moment after he had 
descended from the tree the iron hail was poured into the British works, and 
they were abandoned. He was the first man to establish a fort in Florida 
in 1824, which bore a conspicuous part in the operations against the Semi- 
nolcs, and was named by the Government to his honor. During the war 
with Mexico he was stationed at New Orleans, and performed a very im- 
portant part in forwarding troops and munitions of war. He died at San 
Antonio, Texas, March 9, 1851 ; and when General Lorenzo Thomas was 
arranging the National Cemeteries after the rebellion, he found the grave 
of his old friend General Brooke in a dilapidated condition, and had the 
remains renu)ved to a more suital)le spot, which is now marked by an ap- 
propriate monument. General Brooke was a most accom])lished gentleman, 
and a great lover of angling, and, by way of anuising himself, invented a 
jieculiar kind offish hook, which has been quite popular with the piscatorial 
fraternity. During a part of his service at Detroit there was a British re- 
giment stationed on the opposite side of the river, with which his men had 
crossed bayonets during the war, and he was very popular with the British 
officers. So much so, indeed, that when the British regiment was ordered 
home from Canada the officers invited him to a last dinner in Quebec, which 



424 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

he accepted, and then they presented him with a valuable watch in a gold 
box. 



Brown, Charles R. He was bom in Columbia, Lorain county, Ohio, 

in 1836 ; educated at the Baldwin University ; was for a time Principal of 
the Freedom Academy, in Portage county ; and in 1855 commenced the 
publication of a paper in Cuyahoga county called Pure Gn7, which was not 
successful. He subsequently studied law, and in 1860 he removed to J\Iich- 
igan and settled in Ht. Josepli, Berrien county. Not long afterwards he 
was elected a Circuit Court Commissioner ; in 1866 he was elected to the 
Legislature; in 1867 he removed to Kalamazoo; and in April, 1869, he was 
elected a Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit. He is the editor of a monthly 
periodical entitled " Reports of Cases, tried and determined at Nisi Prius, in 
the Circuit Courts of Michigan." 



Brown, Daniel. He was born in Lexington, Massachusetts, in the 

year 1775 ; spent some years in Windsor, Vermont, serving in the Legisla- 
ture ; and afterwards located in the State of New York, where he held many 
offices of trust and honor. In 1826 he took up his residence in Ann Arbor, 
Michigan, when the site of the city was almost an unbroken wilderness. 
To his forethought, energy, and public spirit was the place indebted for 
the first impulse in its career of prosperity ; he was for fifty years a promi- 
nent member of the jMasonic fraternity ; and after a useful and honorable 
life he died at Ann Arbor in 1857. 



BuEL, Alexander "\V. Was born in Rutland county, Vermont, in 

1813; graduated at Middlebury College in 1830; taught school for several 
years in Vermont and New York, during which i)eri()d he prepareil him- 
self for the practice of the law. In 1834 he took up his residence in ]\lich- 
igan ; in 1836 was attorney for the city of Detroit; in 1837 was elected to 
the State Legislature ; in 1848 and 1844 was prosecuting attorney for Wayne 
county ; in 184? was again elected to the Legislature, and was Speaker of 
the Lower House in 1848; and from 1849 to 1851 was a Representative in 
Congress from ]\lichigan, and was a member of the Committee on Foreign 
Afiairs. Died in Detroit April 17, 1868. 



Burt, William A. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, June 

13, 1792; after receiving a good education in the State of New York, he 
studied surveying and nautical astronomy, and was for several years em- 
ployed as an engineer in the county of Erie. In 1824 he removed to 
Michigan, locating near Detroit, where he was engaged in surveying and 
mill building, and served several terms in the Council of the Territory, and 
enjoying the friendship of General Cass. In 1832 he received from Gov- 
ernor Porter the appointment of District Surveyor ; was appointed a Deputy 
Surveyor for the United States, and originated the idea which led to the 
invention of the solar comj^ass, which became a great success, and was 
highly appreciated by the scientific world. Between 1840 and 1847 he 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 425 

was employed in surveying the northern peninsula of Michigan, and intro- 
duced u variety of important improvements in connection with his inven- 
tion of the solar compass and the modes of geological surveying ; in 1844: 
and 1845 he was associated with Douglass Houghton in his scientiiic 
labors, and his discoveries had an in)])ortant bearing (m the developement 
of the mineral treasures of northern jNlichigan. In 1851 he visited Europe, 
and for his compass I'eceived from the Industrial Exhibition of London a 
prize medal. In 185G he obtained patents in the United States, England, 
France, and Belgium for an eipiatorial sextant, l)ut he was not ])ermitted 
to bring it to perfection before his untimely death, which occurred on the 
18th of August, 1858. During his long residence in ^lichigan he was 
called upon to fill many positions of trust and honor, among which were 
Commissioner of Internal Improvement, Judge of the Circuit Court, and 
member of the State Legislature for several terms ; and when he died he 
left a spotless reputation. He was also one of the prime movers in the 
erection of the Saute de Ste. Marie Canal. 



BusiT, Charles P. He became a citizen of Michigan about the year 

1837, locating himself in Livingston county; was a Presidential Elector in 
1845; in 1847 he removed to the town of Lansing, of which he was one of 
the founders ; was elected a member of the State Senate, and exercised a 
prominent influence in procuring the removal of the seat of Government, 
and by his energy and business capacity acquired a handsome fortune. He 
was a ready debater, very much of a ])olitician, and was a member of the 
Constitutional Convention of 1850. He died at Lansing July 4, 1857, in 
the forty-ninth year of his age. 



Cadillac, Antoine de La Motte. This man was the founder of 

Detroit, and the Cass manuscripts, which were edited and publislied by 
Mrs. E. M. Sheldon, in 1856, contain a very full account of his operations 
on the soil of Michigan. Not long after his first arrival in Canada from 
France he received the title of Lord of Mount Desert, and having revisited 
Europe, he came out into the wilderness again, and, as the personal friend 
of Louis XIV., he was made Commandant of Affairs in lGi)G of the Lake 
country, and on the 24tli of Jidy, 1701, arrived at Detroit with fifty soldiers 
and fifty Canadian traders and canoemen and two missionaries, and pro- 
ceeded at once to build a fort, which he named in honor of Pontchartrain, 
the French Colonial ]\Iinister. Its avowed object was to secure to France 
the immense fur trade of the Northwest. He was a zealous Roman Cath- 
olic, but opposed to the Jesuits, and as that order held the reins of (iovern- 
ment in Canada, he and his immediate f)llowers had anything but a jieaceful 
time. Pie first visited the Lake country in KJitO, and was for several years 
stationed at J\lackinaw, and as he remained at Detroit until 1711, he must 
have spent about fifteen years in the Territory. He was a "bold, ambitious, 
and enthusiastic man," had a kind heart, but arbitrary manners, and was 
the possessor of more than ordinary literary abilities. Various letters which 
he wrote to the Home Government, from Detroit, contain many very inter- 
esting particulars respecting the country and the people of that early time. 
With his commission as Commandant he received a tract of land, fifteen 
acres square, " wherever on the Detroit the new fort should be established." 
2 A * 



426 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Campbell, Henky Munroe. — He was born in Stillwater, Saratoga 
county. New York, September 10, 1783. In 1810 he removed to Buffalo, 
where he resided until May, 1826, when he removed to Detroit, with which 
place he was subsequently identified, and where he died in January, 1842. 
Most of his life was spent in business. During the War of 1812 he served 
as Lieutenant of a volunteer artillery company, organized in Buffalo. He 
was instrumental in getting up the parish of St. Paul's Church, Buffalo, and 
was also constantly warden or vestryman of St. Paul's, Detroit. He was 
active in organizing the Episcopal Church in Michigan into a diocese in 
1833 and 1844, and was one of the first delegates to the General Conven- 
tion in 1835, and was for many years a member of the standing committee 
of the diocese. He was a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas at various 
times, both in New York and Michigan, and, as such, acquired an exalted 
reputation. 



Campbell, James V. He was born in Buffalo, New York, February 

25, 1823, and was the son of Henry Munroe Campbell, with whom he I'e- 
moved to Detroit in 1826. He graduated at St. Paul's College, Long Is- 
land, in July, 1841; admitted to the bar in 1844; elected to the (First 
Independent) Supreme Court of Michigan in March, 1857, (the term 
beginning January, 1858,) and was re-elected in 1863. In 1859, upon the 
oi'ganization of the Marshall Professorship in the University of JNIichigan, 
he was appointed to that position: and the other offices which he has filled 
have always been connected with his profession or the educational interests 
of the State. 



Carver, Jonathan. He was born in Stillwater, Connecticut, in 

1732 ; after serving as a captain in the old French war, became enamored 
of a wayward and wandering life ; and spent several years travelling 
through the interior parts of North America, a portion of which time he 
spent in Detroit and Michiliraacinac. In 1778 an account of his travels 
was published in London, where he died in great poverty in 1780. His life 
was written by Dr. Lettsom, and it was in consequence of his account of Car- 
ver's ill-requited labors fjr the English Government, that the " Literary 
Fund" was established. A portion of his interesting book of travels, de- 
scribed with considerable minuteness the country now occupied by the 
States of Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and a few years 
ago, a mutilated edition of his volume Avas published in New York as a 
description of Wisconsin. 



Cass, Lewis. Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, October 9, 1782. 

Having received a limited education in his native place, at the early age 
of seventeen he crossed the Alleghany Mjuntains on foot, to seek a home 
in the "Great AVest," then an almost unexplored wilderness. Settled at 
Marietta, Ohio ; he studied law, and was successful. Elected at twenty- 
five to the Legislature of Ohio, he originated the bill which arrested the 
proceedings of Aaron Burr, and, as stated by I\Ir. Jefferson, was the first 
blow given to what is known as Burr's conspiracy. In 1807 he was ap- 
pointed by Mr. Jefferson jNIarshal of the State, and held the office till the 



BIOGRAPniCAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 427 

latter part of 1811, when he volunteered to repel Indian aggressions on the 
frontier. He was elected colonel of tlie od regiment of Ohio volunteers, and 
entered the military service of the United States at the commencement of 
the war of LSl'i. Having l)y a difficult march reached Detroit, he urged 
the immediate invasion of Canada, and was the author of the j)roclamation 
of that event. He was the first to land in arms on the enemy's shore, and, 
with a small detachment of troops, fought and won the first hattle, that of 
the Tarontoe. At the suhsequeut capitulation of Detroit he was ahsent ou 
important service, and regretted that his command and himself had heea 
included in tliat ca])itulation. Liberated on parole, he repaired to the seat 
of Government to report the causes of the disaster, and the failure of the 
campaign. Pie was immediately apjxnnted a colonel in the regular army, 
and, soon after, })romoted to the rank of brigadier-general, having in the 
meantrme been elected major-general of the Ohio volunteers. On being 
exchanged and released from parole, he again repaired to the frontier, and 
joined the army for the recovery of IMichigan. Being at that time without 
a command, he served and distinguished himself as a volunteer aide-de- 
camp to (Jcneral Harrison at the battle of the Thames. He was a])pointed 
by President Madison, in October, 181.'^ Governor of IMichigan. His posi- 
tion combined, with the ordinary duties of chief magistrate of a civilized 
community, the immediate management and control, as superintendent, of 
the relations with the numerous and powerful Indian tribes in that region 
of country. He conducted with success 'the affairs of the Territory under 
end^arrassing circumstances. Under his sway peace was preserved between 
the whites and the treacherous and disaifected Indians, law and order estab- 
lished, and the Territory rapidly advanced in ])()pulation, resources, and 
prosperity. He held this position till July, 1831, when he was, by Presi- 
dent Jackson, made Secretary of AVar. In the latter part of 1836 President 
Jackson appointed him Minister to France, where he remained until 1842, 
when he requestetl his recall, and returned to this country. In January, 
1845, he was elected by the Legislature of ]\Iichigan to the Senate of the 
United States; which place he resigned on his nomination, in May, 1848, 
as a candidate for the Presidency by the political i)arty to which he be- 
longed. After the election of his opponent (General Taylor) to that office, 
the Legislature of his State, in 1849, re-elected him to the Senate f )r the 
unexpired portion of his original term of six years. When ^Ir. Buchanan 
became President, he invited General Cass to the head of the Department 
of State, which position he resigned in December, 1860. He devoted some 
attention to literary pursuits, and his writings, speeches, and State papers 
would make several volumes ; among which is one entitled " France, its 
King, Court, and Government," published in 1840. He died in Detroit, 
June 17, 1866, and will long be remembered as the most eminent and suc- 
cessful statesman of Michijran. 



Chandler, ZAcnARiAn. Born in Bedford, N"ew Hampshire, Decem- 
ber 10, 1813; received an academical education; was bred a merchant, and 
was eminently successful in that business in Detroit ; was mayor of Detroit, 
Michigan, in 1851 ; defeated candidate for Governor of ^lichigan in 1852; 
and a Senator in Congress from INIichigan, having succeeded Senator Cass 
in that capacity, and taking his seat in the Tiiirty-fit'th Congress, serving 
as a member of the Committee on the District of Columbia, and chairman 
of the Committee on Commerce. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1863, 
for the term ending in 1869, serving ou the Committees on llevolutiouary 



428 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Claims and on Mines and Mining, and again as chairman of the Committee 
on Commerce. He took a special interest in all measures for the suppres- 
sion of the rebellion ; and was a member of the National Committee ap- 
pointed to accompany the remains of President Lincoln to Illinois; also a 
delegate to the Philadelphia " Loyalists' Convention " of 1866. In 1869 
he Avas again re-elected to the Senate for the term ending in 1875. 



Chapman, William. He was born in Charles county, INIaryland, 

January 22, 1810, and graduated at the West Point Academy in 1831. 
The first two years of his military life were spent at Fort Mackinaw, and 
in 1841 he was returned to that post, and renuiined about five years, when 
he was promoted to the rank of captain ; after which he was stationed at 
Fort Howard on Green Bay, and which place has ever since been his nom- 
inal residence. Prior to his last service in Michigan he was attached to 
the Black Hawk expedition in 1832 ; was an assistant instructor of infantry 
tactics at the West Point Academy from 1832 to 1833; and adjutant of 
the 5th infantry. Just before the breaking out of the war with Mexico he 
"was in military occupation of Texas, and having at once gone to the field, 
was engaged in the battles of Palo Alto, Resaca-de-la-Palma, jSIonterey, 
Vera Cruz, Cherubusco, Molino del Rey, and Chepultepec; and he was also 
present at the capture of San Antonio and the City of Mexico. For gallant 
and meritorious conduct at these various places he received two promotions. 
After the war with Mexico he was in active service in New York, Texas, 
Florida, Utah, New Mexico, and various parts of the Indian Territory; and 
on the breaking out of the rebellion, he served with honor with the Army 
of the Potomac at Yorktown, Malvern Hill, Harrison's Landing, ]Manassas, 
and for meritorious services at Bull Run received another promotion, that 
of brevet colonel. In 1863 he was retired from active service for disability, 
resulting from hmg and faithful service, and disease contracted in the line 
of duty. He was subsequently on special duty in Washington, and member 
of a Board for examining officers for pnmiotion in the army; since which 
time he has been unemployed at his residence on Green Bay. 



CiiARLEVoix, Peter Francis Xavier de. He was born at St. Quen- 

tin in 1682, educated as a Jesuit, and in 1721, under the auspices of the 
French Government, made a tour through the Great Lakes, and down the 
Illinois and Mississipj)i rivers to New Orleans. He spent a considerable 
time within the Territory now known as Michigan, and described in lan- 
guage of rare beauty numy phases of its scenery. After his return to France 
he published a description of his travels, and also a general history of New 
France, bi^th of which works were eminently successful in the original as 
well as in manifold English translations. He died in 1761. 



CiiirMAN, Henry. He was born in Vermont in 1785, and after re- 
ceiving a liberal education, adopted the profession of law. When quite 
young he went to South Carolina, and was engaged in the practice of the 

Sroiession in that State untjl 1824, when he was appointed by President 
lonroe a Judge of the United States for the Territory of Michigan, when 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 429 

he removed to Detroit, and from wliich time until his death, wliich oecurrcd 
about two years since, in Detroit, lie was one of the most iniluential, culti- 
vated, and distinguished citizens of the State. In a letter which Governor 
Woodhridire wrote to the compiler a few years before his death, he spoke 
of Judge Chipman as a first-class man, and one Avith whonj it had been a 
pleasure to be associated on the bench ; and the (puditics wliicli character- 
ized Judge Cliipuiau cannot, perhaps, be l)ettcr expressed *tlian in his own 
language, addressed to tlie compiler, when sj)eaking of Governor Wood- 
bridge: — " In his politics he was a disciple of theAVasIiington school, whose 
principhs he had ind)ibed in early life from his association with the founders 
of the Kepublie and framers of the Federal Constitution. lie was truly 
national and conservative in his views and feelings, and always a devoted 
friend of the Union. He could never stoop to play the political ])artisau 
for his own advancement, but always carried his political opinions as ]iarts 
of his private conscience; and ])ersonal integrity, and never allowed a dlHi'r- 
ence of political opinion to interfere with his social relations or public 
duties." 



CiiiPMAX, John S. He was born in Vermont, graduated at IMiddlc- 

bury College in 1823, and was a Representative in Congress from JMicliigan 
from 1845 to 1847. He subsequently went to California, as we have been 
fold, and we have been unable to proc\ire any further particulars of his 
historv. 



CiiRisTiANCY, Isaac P. He was born in Johnstown, New York, in 

I\Iarch, 1812; received a common-school and academical education, which 
he fought for single-handed ; when thirteen years of age became the main 
support of his father's family, and followed school teaching for their sup- 
port. In 1835 he began the study of law; in 1836 he removed to 
Michigan and settled in ]\Ionroe; there completed his legal studies Avith 
Robert IMcClelland, and in which place he has since resided, prac- 
ticing his profession uninterruptedly from 1838 to 1857. From 1841 
to 1840 he was Prosecuting Attorney for ^lonroe county; in 1848 he 
became interested in the Free Soil party, and attended the IJuflalo 
Convention of that year; in 1849 he was elected to the State Senate; in 
1852 he consented to be the candidate of the Free Soil party for Governor, 
although he knew there was no hope of election at that time; and he was a 
prime mover in the political combination of 1854, which resulted in the 
organizati(m of the Republican party, which was not only born in jNIichi- 
gan, but received its name at a convention held in the city of" Jackson. 
He was a delegate to tiie Philadelphia ('onvention of 1850, which nomi- 
nated Fremont for the Presidency; he then purchased the Monroe Com- 
viercial, which had been a Democratic paper down to that time, and became 
its editor; was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate, 
(made so by his party,) and in 1857 he was elected a Judge of the Supreme 
Court of the State, and in 1805 was re-elected for eight years by the unani- 
mous vote of all parties. He was, of course, a zealous sup|)orter of the war 
for the Union, and perf)rmed some service on the staff of General A. A. 
Hum])hrey, as well as that of General G. A. Custer. 



Clakk, Robert. He was born in Washington county. New York, and 

was of Scotch descent ; was a member of the Assembly of that State from 



430 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

1812 to'1815 ; a representative in Congress from New York from 1819 to 
1821, and a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention held in the 
latter year. He subsequently adopted the medical profession, and settled 
in Monroe, ]Michigan Territory, and by President Monroe was appointed 
Register of the Land Office for the Second Land District of said Territory, 
He held the office from 1823 to 1832, and during the entire period his inti- 
mate friend, Charles James Lanman was the Keceiver of Public Moneys, 
He carried on an extensive farm, was partial to horticulture, and an 
orchard which he planted and kept in splendid condition for many years 
had the reputation of being the most extensive and beautiful in the whole 
Territory. 



Clark, Samuel, He was born in New York, and was a Representa- 
tive in Congress from New York from 1833 to 1835 ; on removing to ]\Iichi- 
gan was elected a Representative in Congress from that State from 1853 to 
1855. He was a resident of Kalamazoo, where he died October 2, 1870. 



Cocker, Benjamin F. He was born in England, and came to this 

country about the year 1850 ; is the Professor of Philosophy in the Uni- 
versity of Michigan, a Doctor of Divinity, and is the author of a work on 
"Christianity and the Greek Philosophy," which has acquired a high repu- 
tation. He revisited his native land about a year ago, and returned to the 
duties of his position in the University fortified with much new informa- 
tion, to be used for the benefit of the students who attend his lectures. 



Cole, Henry S. He Avas a native of Canandaigua, New York, and 

removed from that place to Detroit in 1827 or 1828. He was a man of 
culture, a lawyer by profession, to which he was devoted, and in which he 
was successful, and distinguished for his rapid dispatch of busine^^s. He 
was the successor of Judge Fletcher as Attorney-General of the Territory 
of Michigan, a courteous and popular man; and he died in Detroit in 
1836, universally lamented. He had two brothers — Thomas G. and Joseph 
C. — who were both honorably identified with Michigan as Territory and 
State. 



Cole, Thomas G. He was born in Canandaigua, New York, and emi- 
grated to the Territory of Michigan about the year 1830, locating at Mon- 
roe, on the River Raisin, He was a talented and active business man and 
a most courteous gentleman; was one of the first in projecting and carrying 
forward to successful termination the Detroit, Monroe, and Toledo Rail- 
road ; and was a Director and for some years Superintendent of the ^lichi- 
gan Southern Railroad. It was chiefly through his agency and liberality 
that the Monroe Gazette was established in 1846, and which the present 
writer had the honor of editing for a few months after its commencement. 
He died at Monroe in 1860. He had a brother, Joseph C. (.'ole, who was 
at one time postmaster at Monroe, and a man of much literary culture; and 
another brother, Henry S, Cole, who was long a leading lawyer in Detroit. 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 431 

CoMis, Ezra. He was elected a member of the Michigan Legislature 

from Calhoun county in 1836, and was the first Speaker chosen under the 
State Constitution, and he had previously been a member of the Conven- 
tion which formed the said Constitution. He was also a general in the 
militia service ; reputed a man of talents and strict integrity. Died in De- 
troit in February, 1837. 



CoMSTOCK, Darius. He was of Quaker parentage, and one of the 

original contractors of the Erie Canal, and a number of the locks at Lock- 
port were constructed under his supervision. Having made a fortune in 
that capacity he emigrated to Michigan, purchased an extensive tract of 
land in Lenawee county, and founded the village and now the flourishing 
city of Adrian. He was a worthy and sagacious man, and took an active 
part in developing the resources of the State, throughout the length and 
breadth of which his name was synonymous with prosperity and enterprise. 



CoMSTOCK, O. C. He was born in New York in 1784 ; received a good 

education, and prepared himself to officiate as a Baptist preacher; was 
elected to the New York Assembly in 1810 and I'^Ti; and was a Repre- 
sentative in Congress from that State from 1S13 to 1S19. He subsequently 
officiated as Chaplain of the National House of Representatives ; and hav- 
ing, after sojourning for a time in Illinois, taken up his residence at JNIar- 
shull, IMichigan, remained there until his death, which occurred on the 11th 
January, IbGO. 



CoNANT, Shubael. He was for a great many years one of the most 

influential, cultivated, and enterprising citizens of Detroit, and did much 
by his sagacity as a merchant to promote the prosperity of the city and 
State. lie emigrated to the West from IMassachusetts ; had a brother, 
who resided on the River Raisin, at I\Ionroe, who was a prominent 
physician, and also a man of ability and refinement. Mr. Shubael Conant 
was a man of rare judgment, by the exercise of which he acquired a hand- 
some property, and stood high as a man of character and benevolence, al- 
ways taking a deep interest in the welfare of Detroit and the entiie State 
of Michigan. As early as the year 1819 he established, in conjunction with 
two other Detroit citizens, the first grain and saw-mills in the town of Pon- 
tiac. He was never married, and died in Detroit in 1S65 or '6G, leaving a 
name which will always be kindly remembered by the older citizens of the 
State. The writer regrets that he cannot be more particular in his notice, 
but if pleasant personal recollections were suited to this place he would 
have no trouble iu writing an entire essay. And this remark holds true in 
regard to nearly all the pioneer citizens whom it is his pleasure to mention 
in this volume. 



Conger, James L. He was born in New Jersey, and, on removing to 

Michigan, was elected a Representative in Congress from 1851 to l^^^S. Of 
his later history the compiler has been unable to obtain any particulars. 



432 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Conger, Omar D. He was born in Cooperstown, Otsego county, New 

York, in 1818 ; removed with his father, who was a elergyiuan, to Huron 
county, Ohio, in 1824 ; graduated in l!^42 at the Western Reserve College ; 
from 1845 to 1847 he was employed in the Geological Surveys of Lake Su- 
perior; and in 1848 he settled at Port Huron, Michigan, in the ])ractice of 
law. In 1850 he was elected Judge of St. Clair county; was a Senator in 
the State Legislature from 1855 to 1859, during the latter year serving as 
President ;:>ro <cm. ; was a Delegate to the Baltimore Convention of l'^64; 
also a Presidential Elector at the ensuing election in 1865, and messenger 
from INIichigan to carry the vote to Washington ; in 1866 he was a member 
of the State Constitutional Convention ; and in 1868 he was elected a Rep- 
presentative from Michigan to the Forty-first Congress, serving on several 
committees, but especially the Committee on Commerce. He resides at Port 
Huron, and was re-elected to the Forty-second Congress. 



CooLEY, Thomas M. He was born at Attica, New York, January 6, 

1824; studied law in Palmyra ; removed to Michigan in 1843 ; completed 
his legal studies at Adrian, where he was admitted to the bar in 1^46 ; and 
spent the two following years practicing his profession in Tecumseh, after 
which he settled permanently in Adrian. In 1857 he was appointed by the 
Legislature to compile the General Statutes of Michigan, which were duly 
published in two volumes ; in 1858 he was appointed Reporter of the Su- 
preme Court, held the position until 1864, and published eight volumes of 
Reports : in 1850 he was made Jay Professor of Law in the Univert^ity of 
Michigan, which office he holds at the present time ; in 1866 he published a 
Digest of JNIichigan Reports; and in 1868 (through Little, Brown & Co.) a 
"Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations which rest upon the Legislative 
Power of the States of the American Union," which work has been emi- 
nently successful. In 1864 he was elected a Justice of the Su})reme Court 
by 17,000 majority, and in 1869 re-elected by a majority of more than 30,000 
for the term which ends in 1878. Notwithstanding the pressure of his pub- 
lic duties, he has found time to prepare for early publication a new edition 
of Blackstone ; and among the important cases which have been decided 
since he went upon the bench are, first, one declaring the Military Suffrage 
Act unconstitutional; and another declaring Railroad Subscriptions void — 
both of which have been extensively discussed by the public at large. The 
present residence of Judge Cooley is in Ann Arbor. 



Cooper, George B. Born at Long Hill, Morris county, New Jersey, 

June 6, l80S ; received a good common-school education ; removed to Mich- 
igan in 1830; served in the two Houses of the State Legislature; served 
two tei-ms as State Treasurer of Michigan ; held the position of Postmaster 
at Jackson for eleven years, which he resigned when chosen Treasurer ; and 
was elected a Representative from INIichigan to the Thirty-sixth Congress. 
His seat, however, was contested by William A. Howard, and before the 
close of the first session the latter was admitted. 



Crapo, Hexry H. He was born in Dartmouth, Mass., ^May 24, 

1804 ; resided for many years in New Bedford, from which place he re- 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OP MICHIGAN. 433 

moved to Michigan in 1857 ; became extensively engaged in the manufac- 
ture and sale of lumber ; was for a time Mayor of Flint, where he resided ; 
served in the State Senate; and was twice elected Governor of the State — 
in 1>G4 and 1^66 — performing important services during the progress of 
the llehelliun, all of which the reader will find fully set forth in that por- 
tion of this volume devoted to the part which Michigan took in the war for 
the Union. Died in Flint. July 23, 1869. 



Crary, Isaac E. He was born in Preston, New London county, Con- 
necticut ; received a good English education, and then graduated at an east- 
ern College ; adopted the profession of law, and removed to the Territory of 
Michigan; was there appointed a General of Mililia; was elected a liele- 
gate to Congress from tlic Territory in l!^35 and I'^oG; was a Delegate to 
the State Constitutional Convention of l!>o5, and drew up the article which 
passed into a law creating the office o^ Superintendent of Public Instruction ; 
also a Regent of the State University in LS37 ; and was a Representative 
in Congress from that State from the time of its admission into the Union 
in 1^30 to 1S41. He also edited at one time the Democratic Expomider. 
He was a member of the Legislature, and chosen Speaker of the Lower 
House in L^4G. He died in Marsiiall, Michigan, May 8, 1.S54, A debate 
which he had on the fh)or of Congress witli Thomas Corwin has passed into 
the history of parliamentary novelties. 



Custer, George A. He was born in New Rumley, Harrison county, 

Ohio, December 5, 1839, but as he identified himself with IMichigan — iirst, 
by commanding her famous brigade of cavalry, and secondly, by becoming 
the son-in-law of one of her leading citizens — Daniel S. Bacon — we submit 
the following particulars with pleasure: After acquiring a good education, 
he became a school-teacher, and having been appointed to the West Point 
Academy, he graduated at that institution in 18G1. He was first assigned 
to duty in the 2d United States cavalry, f )rmerly commanded by R. E. 
Lee ; reported liimself for duty to General Scott the day before the battle 
of Bull Run ; served on the staff" of General Kearney; was with the Army 
of tiie Potomac, and when General INIi^Clellan was relieved, he was mus- 
tered out as a Captain and Aid-de-Camp. He then became a personal Aid 
to General Pleasanton, and for meritorious services was made a Brigadier- 
General of volunteers, and assigned to the command of the ^Michigan bri- 
gade, which distinguished itself at Gettysburg. He participated in the 
battle of the Wilderness, and for his services in the Shennandoah Valley he 
was complimented in an order of the War Department. He was a warm 
personal friend and important assistant of (leneral Sheridan, who, although 
ten years his senior, when once in trouble on the field of battle, sighed for 
the help of "old Custer;" and in a letter to Mrs. Custer, accompanying the 
table, sent as a present, on which were signed the terms of surrender of the 
Virginia army, inider (icneral R. E. Lee, he said: "No j)erson was more 
instrumental in bringing about this most desirable result than your most 
gallant husband." General Custer was promoted to the rank of Major- 
General of volunteers ; accompanied General Sheridan to the Department 
of the Gulf after the war; was on important duty in Texas ; and in 18G6 
was mustered out of the volunteer service and returned to resume his posi- 
tion in the regular army. It is said of him that he never lost a gun or 
2 B 



434 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

color, but captured more guns, flags, and prisoners than any other General 
not an array commander. After the war he was sent as a delegate to the 
Union Convention of Philadelphia, and also to the Soldiers' Convention of 
Cleveland, since which time he has taken no part in politics. 



Dablon, Claude. He was a Jesuit missionary, a personal friend and 

companion of Father Marquette, and an account of his labors on the Upper 
Lakes is contained in the Jesuit Relation of 1671. He was Superior of the 
Missions in that region, and an earnest and hard-working man. He took 
part in an expedition for the survey of Lake Superior, which resulted in a 
valuable and curious map of the region, and made this report in regard to 
the copper mines: "A day's journey from the head of the lake on the south 
side there is a rock of copper, weighing from six hundred to eight hundred 
pounds, lying on the shore, where any who pass may see it;" and he further 
speaks of the great copper boulders found in the bed of the river Ontonagan. 
His j:)rincipal fields of operation as a missionary were at the Saute de Ste. 
Marie and at the head of Green Bay. He was the man who said that the 
region of Green Bay Avas an earthly paradise, but that the way to it was as 
difficult as the path to heaven — alluding to the rapids of Fox river. With 
regard to the name of Michigan, he wrote it Mitchiganon ; and in speaking 
of the success which had attended his labors as a missionary, in conjunc- 
tion with those of Allouez and Marquette, he rejoiced that his holy faith 
was established among the Indian tribes; and he had "good hope that they 
would soon carry it to the famous river called the Mississippi, and perhaps 
even to the South Sea." 



Desnoyers, Peter. He was born in France in 1773 ; came from 

Paris to America in 1790; lived atGallipolis a number of years, and after- 
wards in Pittsburg, from which place he removed to Detroit in August, 
1796, where he resided until his death. In consequence of his loyjvlty as 
an American citizen, he received a douation of land on the river Detroit, 
under an act of Congress passed in 1807 ; was subsequently United States 
Marsluil for the Territory; also. State Treasurer iu 1839 ; and during his 
long residence in Detroit was considered one of the most influential men of 
the city, as well as a leading spirit among the French population. 



Dewey, James Stoddard. He was born in Broome county. New 

York, December 21, 1832; removed with his father to Lapeer county, 
Michigan, in 1838; and he was educated at the Miami University, in Ohio, 
wherchis uncle, Dr. O. N. Stoddard, was Professor of Chemistry and the 
Natural Sciences. After graduating in 1S5S, he returned to ^lichigan, and 
settled in Pontiac ; for about one year he was an assistant principal in a 
Union School ; next studied law, and, on being admitted to the bar, was 
clerk in the office of Judge M. E. Crofoot, and became his partner in busi- 
ness, continuing that connection until 1863. In 1^64 he was elected City 
Justice of Pontiac; in 1866 he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court for 
the Sixth Circuit, to fill the unexpired term of Judge Sandford M. Green, 
resigned, and was subsequently re-elected for the full term of six years from 
the 1st of January, 1870, iu which position he still continues. 



BIOGRAPniCAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 435 

Dobbins, Daxiel. He was l)()rn in i\rifflin county, Pennsylvania, 

July 5, 177G, and vi^^ited Lake Erie with a party of s^urveyons us early as 
179G. He was with General Wayne, at Presque Isle, at the time of liis 
death, and became a resident of that locality, where lie was distinguished 
as a navigator of the Great Lakes. He was at Mackinaw with his vessel, 
the Salina, when that place was captured by the British in 1812, and though 
taken prisoner, was paroled. He was again made a prisoner at Detroit, 
and again paroled, but now unconditionally. He was very efficient in fit- 
ting out the squadron at Erie, and was in the expedition, under Commodore 
Sinclair, that attempted to retake Mackinaw. After the war he was in com- 
mand of a vessel called the Wanhlugf on, and in 1<S1(3 conveyed troops in her 
to Green Bay, she having been the first vessel built by civilized man that 
entered that harbor. Having a commission in the navy as captain, he was 
ordered to sea in 1826, when he resigned his position, but remained in the 
employ of the Government. In 1820 President Jackson appointed him 
commander of a Pevenue Gutter, and he finally retired from the service in 
184i); and he died February 2!), l-Sol). He was held in high repute by 
Comnuinder Perry, whom he greatly assisted in his operations on Lake 
Erie ; and a small cluster of islands in Green Bay is known by his name. 



Doty, James D. He was l^orn in New York, and after preparing 

himself lor the bar, removed to jNIichigan, where, for many years betook 
part in the affairs of the State. He was for many years United States 
Judge for Northern Michigan, also, Superintendent of Indian Affairs. From 
1839 to 1841 he was a Delegate to Congress from the Territory of Wisc(m- 
sin; Governor of the Territory from 1841 to 1844; and a Representative to 
Congress from 1849 to 1853. In 18G4 he was appointed by President Lin- 
coln Governor of Utah, of which Territory he had previously been Treas- 
urer ; and he died there in 1865, leaving in Michigan a large number of 
attached friends. 



Driggs, John F. Was born in Kinderhook, New York, March 3d, 

1813; was apprenticed to a mechanical business connected with building 
in New York city, and was a master-mechanic until 1850; in 1844 he was 
appointed Superintendent of the New York Penitentiary, holding the office 
one year; settled in East Saginaw, Michigan, in 1856 ; was President of that 
village in 1858 ; during the two folIt)wing years he was a member of the 
Micliigan Legislature ; and in 1862 he was elected a Representative from 
Michigan to tlie Thirty-eighth C.)ngress, and was a member of the Commit- 
tee on the Public Lands; re-elected to the Thirty-ninth Congress, serving 
on the C(mimittees on Invalid Pensions. INIines and Mining, and Public 
Lands. He was also a delegate to the Philadelphia "Loyalists' Conven- 
tion" of 1866, and re-elected to the Fortieth Congress. 



DuFFiELD, George. He was born in Strasburg, Lancaster county, 

Pennsylvania, July 4, 1794, his father and grandfather having both been 
honorably itlentified with the history of his native State. He graduated at 
the University of Pennsylvania in 1811; subsequently studieil four years 
at the Theological Seminary of New York; in 1815 he was called to the 



436 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Presbyterian Church in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he remained a num- 
ber of years ; next spent two years as Pastor of the Fifth Presl)yterian 
Church of Philadelphia; one year at the Broadway Tabernacle in New 
York ; and in 1838 he removed to Michigan and became the Pastor of the 
First Presbyterian Church of Detroit. From that time until his death, on 
the 26th of June, 1868, he continued in that relation, having for an assistant 
for three years the Rev. William A. McCorkle. A full review of his life, it has 
b'aen said, would embrace a large share of the history of the Presbyterian 
Church in the United States for 30 years, and include many educational and 
scientific questions of the same period and would fill volumes. He always 
took an interest in the State University, and was twice appointed a llegent 
of the same. For well nigh the third of a century he was a bright and 
shining light in the religious world; he was distinguished for his industry; 
without neglecting the prime business of his life, that of preaching the truths 
of the Bible, he devoted much attention to agriculture and geology, and 
made himself master of nine languages besides' his own ; he was a true pa- 
triot, and sent two of his sons to the battle-field during the war for the 
Union. During the entire period of his residence in Michigan he identified 
himself with all the educati<mal and religious interests of his adopted State 
and the beautiful city in which he lived ; and on the second day before his 
death, and while deliveiing an address before the Young IMen's Christian 
Association, he was stricken down by paralysis, and prepared himself to 
pass away to that rest which is the certain inheritance of the true Christian. 



DuROCHER, Laurent. He was the son of a French Canadian, and 

born at the JMission of St. Genevieve, in Missouri, in 1786. He received a 
good collegiate education in JNbmtreal, and in 1805 settled at Frenchtown, 
on the River Raisin. At the beginning of the war in 1812 he joined the 
army of General Hull, and after his surrender rendered important services 
to the Government. When the county of Monroe was organized in 1818 he 
was chosen county clerk, and held the ofiice about twenty years. He was 
for six years a member of the Territorial Council, and was a member, in 
1835, of the Convention which framed the first Constitution of the State. 
He also served in the Legislature, was a justice of the peace, probate judge, 
circuit clerk, and clerk of the city of Monroe, where he died on the 21st of 
September, 1861. He was an accomplished gentleman in his manners, and 
during his hmg public life was the great legal authority among the French 
population on the River Raisin. 

In this connection, and for the want of a better place, we may notice the 
earlier French settlers on the River Raisin. These French families 
did not number over fifty, and among the most conspicuous were those of 
Bourdeaux, Duval, Beaubien, Couture, Nadeau, Bannac, Cicot, Campau, 
Jobien, Godfroy, Lassalle, Corsenau, Labodec, Robert, Laci'oix, Loranger, 
Sancond), Fourniet, Ferry, (who had served in the Revolution,) and Dau- 
zette, who was for many years the leading physician of that section of coun- 
try. As one who knew tliem well has written to us, " they were all among 
the first settlers; most of them originally from France, brave, patriotic, and 
ready always to make any sacrifice for the country, and during the war of 
1812 true and faithful, and of great service to the American army, not only 
as fighting men, but as pioneers and spies, under the most trying cii-cum- 
stances, during the whole war." 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 437 

Edmunds, James M. He was born in Niagara county, New York, 

August 23, 1810 ; received a common scliool and academical education. 
From 1826 until 1831 he was a scliool teacher, and in the latter year he 
removed to ISIicIiigan and became a merchant at Ypsilanti. He took an 
interest in the schools of that place, and was for ten years an inspector of 
schools, holding also a number of other local ])ositions. In 1839 he was 
elected to the State Senate; in 184G to the Lower House; and in 1847 he 
Avas the Whig candidate for Governor, but not elected. He was a member 
of the Constitutional Convention of 1851 ; in 1853 he removed to Detroit 
and entered extensively into the lumbering business, extending his opera- 
tions to Saginaw and Tuscola counties. From 1857 to 1861 he was Comp- 
troller of Detroit, which office he resigned to become Commissioner of the 
General Land OlHce in Washington ; resigning that ])osition in 1866 he was 
chosen Postmaster of the United States Senate, whicli he resigned in 1869, 
to accept the office of Postmaster of Washington city, which he still holds. 
From 1855 to 1861 he was Chairman of the Kepublican State Central Com- 
mittee of Michigan ; President of the IMichigan Soldiers' Relief Association 
in Washington city from its organization in 1861 ; and he was also Presi- 
dent of the National Council of the Union League of America from its or- 
ganization in 1862 to 1869, when he retired from the position. 



Ellis, Edward D. He was a descendant of the Puritans ; emigrated 

at an early day from New Enghmd to the Territory of ]\Iichigan, and 
for a great many years was a resident of ^lonroe, on the River Raisin, where 
he printed and edited a newspaper. He was a man of culture and cxjtau- 
sive views, and we regret that we cannot give the particulars of his life. 
This fact, however, we happen to remember. He was a mend)er of the Con- 
vention which formed the first Constitution of the State. When a barren 
enactment was under discussion for establishing libraries in all the town- 
ships in the State without any provision either to secure books or sustain 
the libraries, it was Mr. Ellis who proposed and carried through the idea 
that all fines imposed fn- the violation of the penal laws throughout the State, 
and all sums assessed f)r the non-performance of military iluty, should be 
set aside as a fund for the support of said libraries. The idea was original 
with him, and has frequently been mentioned to his credit. 



Evans, Edward P. He was born in New York December 8, 1834 ; 

his father having been born in Wales, and by profession a Presbyterian 
minister. He removed to Michigan in 1850, and graduated at the State 
University in 1854. For a year afterwards he had charge of an acad- 
emy in Mississipi)i, and was then aj)p:)iuted a professor in Carroll College, 
Wisconsin. In 1858 he visited Europe, and studied in the various German 
Universities of Gottingen, Berlin, and Munich; spent ten months in Italy 
and a winter in Paris and London, and in 1862 was appointdl Professor of 
Modern Languages and Literature in the University of .Michigan. Besides 
W'riting for the North American Review and many other leading periodi- 
cals, he published in 1866 a translation of the Life and Worlcs of Lemng ; 
in 1867 a translation of the '^ First Hi.^orlcal Transformations of Christiani- 
ty;" and in 1869 an original work on German Literature in the German 
lauguajre. 



438 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Emmons, H, H. He was born in New York, and after acquiring the 

rudiments of a good education at the common-schools, he became an assis- 
tant in his father's office, who was the editor of a paper ; he studied law, 
and was admitted to the bar of that State, and soon afterwards settled in 
Detroit, where his father had already located himself as a lawyer, and with 
whom he became associated in the practice of their profession about the 
year 1840. In 1843 his father died, and in the year following Joseph A. 
Van Dyke became his law partner ; and although devoted to his profession, 
in which he had an extensive practice, he paid some attention to politics ; 
acquired distinction during a period of commotion in Detroit by defending 
the right of an American Protestant clergyman to preach against Cathol- 
icism, Irish repeal, temperance, or secret societies, or whatever he con- 
scientiously believed to be injurious to the welfare — temporal or eternal — of 
his fellow-citizens. In 1853 hii^ health became somewhat impaired by 
application to business, and he partially retired from active professional 
life, although his services have been in frequent demand by the railroad 
companies of the State, whose business he had made a specialty. Early in 
1870 he was appointed by the President Circuit Judge for the State of 
Michigan. 



Evans, Musgrove. For what little we can communicate in regard to 

this worthy man we are indebted to an old friend. He emigrated to Michi- 
gan from Philadelphia about the year 1823, and was a Quaker by educa- 
tion and principle, and though mild and unpretending in manner, he pos- 
sessed great physical endurance, had a large and full heart, and nerves of 
steel. He was a surveyor by profession, was for a long time in the employ 
of a French nobleman, who owned laud in the Black river country ol' New 
York. He was, in conjunction with Wolcott Lawrence and Charles James 
Lanman, the founder of Tecumseh, and gave it its name, and was its first 
postmaster. From a letter that we have seen, written in 1824, the settle- 
ment of Tecumseh was chiefly concentrated around his own h)g cabins, 
in which his good wife had to provide for eight children and thirty-six 
hired men. He had two sons, who were led by the spirit of adventure to 
the Republic of Texas, both of whom were killed at the battle of the 
Alamo, and it is a singular fact that, after he had lost his wife, he emi- 
grated to Texas, and died of a fever in the land where his chililren had 
perished in battle many years before. He was intimately identified with 
the early history of Michigan, and will always be remembered with respect 
by those he left behind. 



Farmer, John W. He was a kinsman, we believe, of the eminent 

antiquarian, John Farmer, of New Hamj)shire, and was the publisher of 
several maps of the States of Michigan and Wisconsin. His sectional map 
of those States alone is sufficient to give him a high rei)utation, and it is 
Worthy of note that it was engraved by his own hand. He died in Detroit, 
March 24, 1859. 



Fasquelle, Jean Louis. He was born in France, in 1808, and re- 
moved to the United States in 1834, engaging in educational pursuits. Pie 
was honored with the degrees of F.B. and LL.D., and was Professor of 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAxV. 439 

Modern Languages and Literature in the University of jNIichigan from 
1846 to 18G2, ijcrtorming for two years tlie additional duties of Librarian 
of the University. In 1854 he published in New York a new method for 
learning the French language, thirty thousand copies of which were issued 
in Enghmd ; and he was also the author of the following productions, viz: 
"Teleiuaque, witii Notes and Grammatical References'," "The Colloquial 
French lieadcr," "Dumas's Napoleon, with Notes," and a "General and 
Idiomatical Dictionary of the French and English Languages." Ilis 
works have all been eminently successful. Died in Michigan. 



Felch, Alpheus. Born in Limerick, York county, Maine, Septem- 
ber 28, 1806. He graduated at Bowdoin College, and adopted the law as 
a profession. He emigrated to ^lichigan when quite young ; was a mem- 
ber of the State Legislature in 1886 and 1837 ; was appointed Bank Com- 
missioner of Michigan in 1838, and resigned in 1839 ; for a short time in 
1842 was Auditor-General of the State, but relinquished that position for a 
seat on the bench of the Su{)reme Court of JMichigan ; in 1845 he was 
elected Governor of Michigan, and having resigned in 1847, was elected a 
Senator in Congress for six years. He was ap[)oiuted by President Pierce 
one of the Commissioners to settle Land (^Jlaims in California, under the act 
of Congress and the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in March, 1853; the 
business of which commission was closed by disposing of all the cases be- 
fore it in March, 1856, since which time he has lived in retirement in Ann 
Arbor. He was also a deleirate to the "Chicairo Convention" of 1864. 



Fenton, William M. He was one of the earlier emigrants to the 

county of Genesee, in Michigan, and after taking a leading part in found- 
ing the village of Fentonville, which bears his name, resided there and at 
Flint for many years, engaged in the practice of law, and holding a num- 
ber of the more important local oHices. Li 1848 he was elected Lieutenant- 
Governor of the State, and re-elected in 1850 and 1851. At the commence- 
ment of the rebellion he became a member of the State Military Board, and 
during the war took a prominent part in organizing the 8th infantry of 
volunteers, which he commanded, and led over such a number of the battle- 
fields of the country, that it came to be known as the "Wandering Kegi- 
ment," and whose services will be found recorded in the preceding pages. 



Ferry, Thomas W. He was born in ^lackinaw, ^lichigan, June 1, 

1827 ; was self-educated, and bred to pursuits of business. In 1850 he was 
elected to the Lower House of the State Legislature; to the State Senate in 
1856 ; for eight years he was an active member of the Republican State 
Committee; was a delegate at large to the Chicago Convention of i860, and 
was one of the vice presidents ; was appointed in 1863 Commissioner, for 
Michigan, of the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg; and in 1864 
he was elected a Representative from ^Michigan to the Thirty-ninth Con- 
gress, serving on the Committees on the Post Office and Post lu)ads, the 
Slilitia, and the War Debt-s of the Loyal States. He was als;) a delegate 
to the Loyalists' Convention held in Philadelphia in 1866 ; was re-elected 



440 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

to the Fortieth Congress, serving on the Committee on Naval Affairs; and 
also re-elected to tiie Forty-first Congress. He resides in Grand Haven; 
and was re-elected to the Forty-second Congress. 



Ferry, William M. He was born in Granhy, Massachusetts, Sep- 
tember 8, 1796 ; graduated at Union College, Kew York, in 1817, and after 
studying theology with Gardiner Spring, he went as a missionary of the 
Presbyterian Church to Mackinaw, where he located himself in 1821. He 
there established a school for white and Indian children, in which he labored 
unceasingly for a period of twelve years. His health having failed him, he 
purchased land in the Grand River Valley, where, with others, he founded 
a settlement, and became extensively engaged in the manufacture of lum- 
ber. His business was so extensive that he shipped to market in one year 
not less than fifteen million feet. He died at Grand Haven December 30, 
1866 or '67, and left bequests for benevolent objects amounting to one hun- 
dred and twenty thousand dollars. 



Fitch, Chauncey W. He was born in New York, and graduated at 

Middlebury College, in Vermont. He was subsequently a student in the 
Theological Seminary at Alexandria, Virginia, from 1825 to 1828. During 
a part of that period he was a teacher of languages in the Military Gym- 
nasium of Georgetown, District of Columbia ; and he was a professor in 
Kenyon College, Ohio, i'rom 1829 to 1838. In tlie latter year he removed 
to INlichigan, and became the principal in the Detroit Branch of the Uni- 
versity of Michigan, in which position he continued until 1841 ; in 1842 he 
took charge of the Female Seminary in Detroit; and while holding these 
several positions, he performed the duties of liecttjr in various churches 
until 1863. In that year he was appt)iuted hospital chaplain in the volun- 
teer army of the United States; and as post chaplain, with the rank of 
captain, he was on duty in the vicinity of Detroit until the close of the 
rebellion. 



Fitzgerald, Thomas. He was a lawyer by profession ; served with 

credit in the war of 1812, under General Harrison ; was appointed a Re- 
gent of the State University in 1837 ; and in 1848 and 1849 was a Senator 
in Congress from Michigan under the appointment of the Governor. A few 
years before entering Congress he was appointed a commissitmer to inquire 
into the condition of the wild-cat banks, and his perseverance and industry 
effectually caused a winding up of these discreditable institutions. Died at 
Niles, Michigan, March 25, 1^55. Although not a brilliant man, he was 
an honest politician and a true patriot. 



Fletcher, William A. He was a native of ]\Iassachusetts, where 

he was for some years engaged in mercantile pursuits, and settled in IMich- 
igan about the year 1820. He subsequently studied law, and was f )r many 
years one of the most successful lawyers in Detroit, filling with credit i'ov a 
time the oflice of Attorney-General for the Territory. lu 1835, on the 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 441 

adoption of the first State Constitution, he was appointed Chief Justice of 
the Supreme Court, and was employed by the Legislature to prepare the 
first codification of the laws. The "Revised Statutes" of Michigan, pub- 
lished in 1S3S, were liis work, and the Legislature made very few changes 
in his draft of them. On leaving the bench in 1842, he returned to the 
practice of his profession, and died in Ann Arbor about the year 1855. He 
was reputed a man of high character and ability, and of strict integrity. 



Fraser, Alexander D. He was born in Inverness, Scotland, Jan- 
uary 20, 1796, and was educated at the Inverness Academy. In 1813 he 
began the study of law ; two years afterwards he removed to Edinburgh, 
and prosecuted his studies in the office of the Writer to the Signet, and at- 
tended the law lectures of the University; and in 1819 he sailed for Amer- 
ica and landed at Savannah, Georgia; came to the bar in Alabama, whei'e 
he spent two years, and then removed to Vincennos, Indiana. He jirac- 
ticed his profession for two years in Indiana and Illinois ; and in 1823 he 
arrived at Detroit, after a journey performed on horseback and in canoes, 
where he permanently settled, and with which place and the State of 
IMichigan he has always been honorably identified. He was long a useful 
and active member of the bar. engaged in many important cases, but 
perhaps the most important was that knhwu as the "Great Conspiracy 
Trial" of 1850, in which the jNIichigan Central railroad was plaintitf, and 
Mr. Frasor the jirosecuting counsel, and the result of which trial was the 
conviction of twelve men, who, with others, had jdotted the destruction of 
the railroad company. In 1856, while engaged in arguing an important 
case in the Supreme Court, he instantaneously lost the use of his right eye, 
by amauroiiis, which compelled him to give up, excepting on special occa- 
sions, the practice of his profession. Under the advice of his physician, he 
soon decided to travel, and embarked for Europe, through Avhich he trav- 
elled extensively. Alwavs absorbed in the duties and studies of his pro- 
fession, he had but little time or inclination to hold office; but in 1832 he 
was appointed Attorney for the city of Detroit; in 1836 and 1839 he was 
Recorder of the city, and in 1855 he was appointed one of the Board of 
"Water Commissioners, in which he continues to this day, and the duties of 
wliich he discharges gratuitously. By common consent, he is to-day looked 
upon by his colleagues at the bar as the leading lawyer of Michigan ; and 
as he is a man of much reading and culture outside of his profession, he 
has probably done as much as any other nuiu to foster and ])erpetuate the 
history of the State of Michigan and the city of Detroit, where he is uni- 
versally respected and venerated. 



Frieze. Henry S. He is at the present time Acting President of the 

University of Michigan, Professor of Latin and Latin Literature in the 
same, a Doctor of Laws, and the author of several volumes connected with 
classical literature. Some years ago he visited Europe, and brought home 
for the L^niversity a fine collection of maps and books. Further particu- 
lars the compiler has beeu unable to procure. 



Galinee. He was a priest of St. Sulpice, a companion of the dis- 
coverer La Salle, and the very first Freuchmau or wliile man who Lj re- 
2 B * 



442 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

corded to have visited the site of Detroit iu 1670. After parting from La 
Salle at the head of Ontario, he and a fellow priest, named Dollier, coasted 
the southern shore of Lake Erie, and entered the Detroit river. At one of 
their camping places their altar service was washed into the lake, and this 
calamity was attributed directly to the Evil One ; and it so happened that, 
on reaching Detroit, they stumbled upon a stone image, which Galinee be- 
lieved to be a representation of the Devil, whereupon, in his exasperation, 
he demolished the image, and, with the help of his coureurs des bois, buried 
the fragments in the river. This man prepared a map of the Great Lakes, 
(the second ever attempted, for Champlaiu attempted one in 1632,) and, 
according to his map, he seems not to have known the fact that Michigan 
was a peninsula. 



Goodwin, Daniel. He was one of the early emigrants to the Terri- 
tory of Michigan, where he settled himself in the practice of the legal pro- 
fession. He was for many years the United States District Attorney for 
Michigan ; subsequently appointed a District Judge ; served repeatedly in 
the State Legislature ; was President of the Constitutional Convention of 
1850 ; appeared for the People in the great trial of 1851, known as the 
Railroad Conspiracy Case ; and is at the present time Judge of the Cir- 
cuit Court for the Northern. Peninsula of INIichigan. 



Gordon, J. Wright. He was the Lieutenant-Governor of Michigan 

on the ticket Avith William Woodbridge, and when the latter resigned to 
accept a seat iu the United States Senate, he became the acting Governor. 
He was an accomplished gentleman of ability and high character, but after 
leaving the public service his health became impaired, and he visited South 
America, and died at Pernambuco, from the effects of an accidental fall 
from a balcony in December, 1853. His jolace of residence was Marshall. 
In 1840 the Whigs had possessicm of the State, and when they came to 
nominate a candidate for the Senate they were divided between Woodbridge 
and Gordon, but the latter received the regular nomination. The night 
before the joint meeting of the Legislature was to be held for the election 
of Senator, while INIr. Gordon was enjoying a supper with his friends, a 
combination of Whigs and Democrats was made, by which it was agreed 
that they Avould support Mr. Woodbridge. The next morning the joint 
meeting was held, and Mr. Gordon, as Lieutenant-Governor, ])resided. 
The first name called was that of a noted Democrat, and he was heard to 
repeat the name of Woodbridge. The AVhigs were astounded, and their 
candidate was defeated. The whole scene was one of intense interest, and 
was long laughed over by the politicians of Michigan. 



Granger, Bradley F. He was born in New York, and elected a 

Representative from Michigan to the Thirty-seventh Congress, serving on 
the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions. Further infoi'mation the com- 
piler has not been able to obtain. 



Grant, Ulysses S. As President Grant spent about four years of his 

military life iu Michigan and at the post of Detroit, it is our duty as well 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 443 

as pleftsure to introduce his name in the present record. The period in 
question was from the ch)sc of the IVIexican war until his departure for Ore- 
gon, when he was hrevet Captain of the fourtli infantry; and if ever there 
was any doubt as to the attachment of the ])eopk) of ]\Iichigan f )r him it 
was most satisfactorily settled when, after the Rebellion, he revisited De- 
troit, and was received with the greatest cnthusiasnj. Pie was born in Point 
Pleasant, Clermont county, Ohio, April 27, 1822. Although originally 
named Iliram Ulysses, the Congressman who nominated him for the West 
Point Academy gave his name, by mistake, as Ulysses B., and by that name 
has he ever been recognized, lie graduated at the Military Academy in 
1843, and as Second Lieutenant was assigned to the fourth infantry. He 
continued in the army from that time for eleven years, and partici})ated in 
most of the battles of tlie ^lexican war excei)ting Biiena Vista, soi-ving un- 
der Generals Scott and Taylor, and receiving two brevets for gallantry at 
Molino del Rey and Chapultepec. While serving in Oregon, in 1852, he 
was i)romoted to the rank of Captain. In 1854 he resigned his commission 
and settled near St. Louis on a farm ; in 1859 he was a real-estate agent in 
St. Louis ; and early in 1860 he removed to Galena, Illinois, where he Joined 
liis father and a brother in the manufacture of leather. When the Rebel- 
lion commenced he raised and took command of a company of volunteers, 
and bef)re the close of 18G1 he had command as Colonel of the Twenty-first 
Illinois Regiment, and was made a Brigadiqr-General of Volunteers ; in 1862 
he was i)romoted to the rank of Major-General of Volunteers, from which 
time his military history is to be traced in his achievements at Fort Donel- 
son, Shiloh, Corinth, luka, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga in the AVest and 
South, and at the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg, 
in Virginia, culminating in the surrender of (Jencn-al ]u»l)ert E. Lee on the. 
Uth of Ai)ril, 1865. It was on the 4th of July, 1863, that he was appointed 
by President Lincoln jMajor-General in the regular army, and he was ap- 
pointed Lieutenant-General INIarch 2, 1864, receiving this commission directly 
from the hands of the President; and the full title of 6'e;?er«^ was conferred 
upon him July 25, 1866. After the close of the Rebellion he took com- 
mand of tiie armies of the United States, with his heachpiarters at Washing- 
ton. In December, 186:), Congress passed a joint resolution thanking him 
and the soldiers who fought under him fir their gallant services and award- 
ing him a gold medal. On the 12th of December, 1867, he was appointed 
by President Johnson Secretary of War ad interim, in the place of E. M. 
Stanton, suspended, which position he held until the November ftllowing, 
when the Senate refused to sanction the suspension of ]Mr. Stanton ; and by 
tlie "Republican National Convention" of 1868, held in Chicago, he was 
nominated by acclamation Wiv the office of President of the United States 
for the term beginning in 1>^69, and was duly elected. For his subsecjueut 
history the reader is referred to the records of the General Government. 



Ghatiot, Charles. He was born in the Territory of ^lissouri of 

French extraction, and educated at the West Point Academy, which he 
left in 1>^04. lie served as a Ca])tain and as Chief of Engineers in the army 
of General Harrison in 1S12 and 1813, and in 1S2S he was proinoted to the 
rank of Brigadier-General for meritorious services and general good con- 
duct ; but he subsequently had some trouble with the Government, and un- 
der an act of Congress was dismissed from the service in 183^. As a part 
of his military duties were performed on the soil of Michigan, and as he was 



444 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

honored by having his name given to one of the fortifications of the State 
and also to one of its counties, it was thought proper to mention him in this 
connection. 



Graves, Benjamin F. He was born in Monroe county, Kew York, 

October 18, 1817; received a good education; and having studied hiw was 
admitted to tbe bar of that State in 1841. In May, 1843, he removed to 
Michigan and settled at Battle Creek, where he has ever since resided. In 
1857 he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court for the fifth circuit, for the 
term of six years, having previously filled the same position by appointment 
from Governor Bingham for about one year, in the place of Abner Pratt, 
resigned. In 1863 he was re-elected for a second terra of six years, but 
resigned in 1866 ; and in 1867 he was elected a Justice of the Supreme Court 
for the term of eight years, and is still in ofiice. 



Gregory, John Milton. He was born in Sand Lake, Rensallaer 

county, New York, July 6, 1822; received a common-school and academi- 
cal education ; and after teaching for awhile he entered Union College, 
whence he was graduated in 1846. He then studied law, but gave up that 
profession and became a Preacher in the Baptist Church; after much ex- 
perience as a teacher in New York he removed to Detroit in 1852, and con- 
tinued the same labor; in 1854, in conjunction with Professors A. S.Welch 
and E. O. Haven, he established the Michigan Journal of Education, which 
he edited for five years; in 1859 he was elected Superintendllit of Public 
Instruction, in which position he served with great usefulness for six years; 
and he published a Compend of School Laws, as well as many addresses on 
topics connected with the educational interests of JNIichigan. In 1866, with- 
out his knowledge, he was a])pointed Regent and President of the State In- 
dustrial University of Illinois, to which institution he has been devoted 
down to the present time. In 1869 he visited Europe, and the extensive 
observations he made among the educational institutions of the Old World 
have tended greatly to enhance his usefulness in the laborious duties he has 
in charge. 



Greenly, Wm. L. He was born in Hamilton, Madison county, New 

York, September 18, 1813 ; graduated at Union College, Schenectady, in 
1^31 ; studied law and came to the bar in 1834; settled in Adrian, Michi- 
gan, in October, 1836 ; was a State Senator from 1837 to 1839 ; was elected 
Lieutenant-Governor of the State in 1845; became acting Governor by the 
resignation of Governor Felch (on account of his election to the United 
States Senate) in February, 1847; and was subsequently a»justice of the 
peace for twelve years. 



Hall, Norman J. He was l)orn in New York in 1837 ; ajipointed 

from JNIichigan to the West Point Academy, where he graduated in 1859; 
was assigned to the artillery service, and on duty in Virginia and South 
Carolina. In 18(51 he was made First Lieutenant of the 5tli artillery, and 
served on the U|)per Potomac ; was with General Hooker's division on the 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 445 

Lower Potomac ; on engineer duty in Virginia ; and was a staff officer in 
the Peninsula campaign. In 1862 he was chosen Coh)nel of the 7tli infan- 
try, Michigan volunteers ; was made Captain hy brevet in 1862 for galiahtry 
at Antietani, and before the close of the year a ]\Iajor by brevet for services 
at Fredericksburg. In LS63 he was brevetted Lieutenant Colonel of volun- 
teers for heroic conduct at Gettysburg, and during the same year was as- 
signed as Captain to the -Oth artillery, regular army. In 186-4 he was dis- 
chargetl from the volunteer service for disability, and in 1865 was on duty 
in Boston as a mustering ()fHccr. Not long afterwards he was "retired from 
active service for disability resulting from long and faithful services and 
disease contracted in the line of duty." From I860 until 1867 he resided 
in JNIassachusetts, and died in Brooklyn, New York, May 26, l'^67. 



Hamtramck, John Francis. He was a resident of Northern New 

York when the Revolution commenced, and served as a Captain in the Con- 
tinental army. He was made a INIajor in the United States array in 1789, 
and promoted to be Lieutenant-Colonel in 1793; had command of the left 
wing of General Wayne's army at the battle of JNIaumee in 1794; was sub- 
sequently ])romoted to the rank of Colonel, and died in Detroit, where, in 
the gnuinds attached to the lloman Catholic ("hurch of »St. Anne, is to be 
found insciibed upon his monument a touching tribute to his menioiy, from 
which we gather the following additional particulars: That he was Colonel 
of the 1st United States regiment of infantry and commandant of Detroit 
and its dejjendencies ; that he died April 11, 1803, in the 46th year of his 
age; that he was a true patriot and a soldier before he was a man ; an ac- 
tive jiarticipator in the dangers, difficulties, and honors of the lu'volutionary 
war; and that for his heroism he was thanked by General Washington; 
the monument having been erected as a grateful tribute to his merit and 
worth bv the officers who had the honor to serve under his command. 



Hand, George E. He was born in East Guilford, noAv IMadison, 

Connecticut, August 16, 1809 ; graduated at Yale College in 1829; and 
removing to JMichigan, located in Detroit, and studied law with William 
A. Fletcher, with whom he became associated in business. In 183o he was 
appointed Judge of Probate for Wayne county ; in 1844, Injunction ^Master 
f)r Eastern ^Michigan ; and in 1846 he was the sole representative of Detroit 
in the Legislature, taking an active part in preparing the Revised Statutes 
of that year, and introducing the resolution for selling the public works of 
the State, of which the Central and Southern railroads were the ])rincipal; 
and also j)repared and proposed the present chartei*s of those roads, and 
negotiated their final sale — the policy adopted by him having been of great 
service to the State. In 18o3 he was appointed United States Attorney for 
Michigan, which (tffiee he held until l>'o7. He was one of the founders, 
and afiorwards the President of the Detroit Young Men's Society; and also 
participated in founding the Bar Society of Detroit, and was for many years 
its President. He was a warm personal friend of Lewis Cass, and was chair- 
man of the Democratic State Convention in l'<48 when the General became 
a candidate for the Presidency. He has always been devoted to his pro- 
fession, and has long been recognized as a prominent and influential mem- 
ber of the Detroit bar. 



446 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Hardikg, Fisher Ames. He was born in Dover, ]\rassachusetts, in 

1811 ; graduated at Harvard University in 1833; studied law with Daniel 
Webster, and in 1835 removed to Chicago for the purpose of following his 
profession. In 1837 he settled in Detroit; in 1>^41 he was elected t(j the 
State Legislature and bore a conspicuous part in public affairs ; and in the 
same year he became an associate editor with IMorgan Bates, of the Detroit 
Daihj Adveri'ser, in which position he remained until his death, which 
occurred in Detroit, August 4, 1846. 



Harrington, Daniel B. In the spring of 1819 this worthy man 

arrived at Detroit from Ohio with his father, Jeremiah Harrington, and 
several friends, for the purpose of hunting and trapping in the wilds of 
Michigan. They travelled in a bateau, and, while obtaining supplies at 
Detroit, they called on the Governor, who told them not to go into the In- 
dian country until he had made a certain treaty with them during the 
summer. They took his advice, and tarried until September on the site of 
Port Huron, when they visited the Valley of the Saginaw, where they spent 
the winter. The only white men then living in that region were Louis 
Campau and his brother, and John B. Cushway, all of them Indian traders, 
whose cabins stood on the site of the present Saginaw City. Mr. Harring- 
ton again visited the Saginaw Valley in 1S34, travelling over-land. At 
that time there was only one house this side of Flint, and only a bridle- 
path to the Saginaw Valley. A man named Bonnell kept what he called 
a tavern where Saginaw City now stands, and there were, he tliinks, about 
a dozen white residents living there. That was the only settlement on the 
river. He again visited the Valley in 1869 for the purpose of attending a 
railroad convention, and he found his old camping ground the centre of an 
immense commercial business, with a population of nearly thirty thousand 
souls. ]Mr. Harrington's present residence is Port Huron, and the story of 
his adventures in the wilds of Michigan would make an interesting volume. 



Harrison, William Henry. Was born in Charles county, Vir- 
ginia, February 9, 1773; was educated at Hampden Sydney College, and 
afterwards studied medicine. He received from Washington a military 
commission in 1791, and fought under Wayne in 1792. After the battle of 
Miami Rapids he was made Captain, and placed in command of Fort 
Washington. In 1797 he was aj)pointed Secretary of the Northwest Terri- 
tory, and in 1799 and 1800 he was a delegate to Congress. Being appointed 
Governor of Indiana, he was also a Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and 
negotiated thirteen treaties. He gained a great victory in the battle of 
Tippecanoe, November 7, 1811, In the war with Great Britain he was 
commander of the Northwest Army, and was distinguished in the defence of 
Fort Meigs and the victory of the Thames, and, in conjunction with Oliver 
H. Perry, rendered important services to the Territory of Michigan at De- 
troit. From 1816 to 1819 he was a Representative in Congress from Ohio; 
a Presidential elector in 1821 and 1825, and from 1825 to 1828 a United 
States Senator. In 1828 he was Minister to the Republic of Colombia, and 
on his return, he resided Upon his farm at North Bend, Ohio. In 1840 he 
was elected President of the United States by 234 votes out of 294, and 
inaugurated March 4, 1841. He died in the Presidential Mansion, April 4, 
1841. A sketch of his life was prepared by himself for Hon. James Brooks. 



BTOGRAPniCAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 447 

Hartsuff, George L. He was born in New York, but havinn; be- 
come a citizen of IMiclugan, he was appointed in 1848 a cadet at West 
Point fi'om that State, which has always been his nominal home. After 
gradnatinc:, in 1852, he was assigned to duty in New York, Texas, and 
Florida; in ISi)'-) in the Topographical De])artment ; in 1855 he was 
wounded in a fight with the Indians at Fort Drane, in Florida ; in 1859 
and l.S()0 he was stationed at INIackinaw ; and after serving with credit 
through the whole war for the Union, from 1801 to l^'GG, he attained the 
raidc of jMajor-General in the United States Army. He was present at the 
defence of Fort Pickens ; Chief of iStaff under General Rosecrans in West- 
ern Virginia ; engaged in the affair at Carnif;ix Ferry; on special duty in 
the AVar Department ; served on the Rappahannock and in Northwestern 
Virginia ; was present at the battles of Cedar Mountain, INIanassas, South 
Mountain, and Antietam, Avhere he was wounded ; was member of a board 
to revise rules and prepare a code for the goverinnent of armies; commanded 
23d army corps in Kentucky and Tennessee ; was at the battle of Peters- 
burg ; was Adjutant-General of the IMilitary Division of the Gulf; and was 
next assigned to the command of the 5th jNIilitary Division, including 
Louisiana and Texas, where he is on duty at the present time. 



Haven, Erastus O. He was born in Boston, IMassachusetts, in 1820; 

graduated at the College of Middletown, Connecticut, in 1842 ; in 1843 he 
became an instructor in the New York Amenia Seminary, and became its 
Princi])al in 184G; from 1848 to 1H53 he was pastor, successively, over 
three churches in New York; from 1853 to 1854 Professor of Latin, and 
from 1854 to 1856 Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature in the 
University of INIichigan, and from 1856 to 1863 editor of Zions Herald, in 
Boston, the organ of New England JNTethodism, during which period he 
was a member of the State Board of Education and a Senator in the State 
Legislature. In 1863 he was made President of the University of Michi- 
gan, which position beheld until 1869, when he resigned and became Pres- 
ident of the Northwestern University, located in Chicago. He is both a 
Doctor of Divinity and a Doctor of Laws, and hy his untiring and eulight- 
ened devotion to the cause of education, ])oth in oMassachusetts and ^Micliigan, 
he has won a high position in the hearts of the people of both States, and 
would seem now to be accomplishing great good for the people of Illinois. 



Hennepin, Louis. He was born in Flanders, in 1640, and became a 

Recollet friar. He embarked for Quebec in 1675, and spent the next 
seven years among the Indian trihes of the Great Lakes and the Valley of 
the Mississippi. He was for a time the right hand man of La Salle during his 
sojourn in the Michigan country, but subsequently turned against the great 
explorer ; he gave it as his opinion that the Detroit river was more beautiful 
than the Niagara, and also, "that those who will one day have the happi- 
ness to ])ossess this fertile and pleasant strait, will he very much obliged to 
those who have shown them the way." The earliest description of the Falls 
of Niagara was from his pen ; he named the river St. Francis in Canada, 
and was the discoverer of Lake Pepin and the Falls of St. AntlnMiy. 
Although not considered a reliable writer, he published a number of books 
bearing upon his exploits and adventures in the wilds of America, which 



448 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

have been immensely popular. Indeed, not less than twenty editions of his 
travels were published in French, Enj,^lish, German, Italian, and Spanish. 
In 1697 he was refused permission to return to Canada, and became a citi- 
zen of Holland ; also, figured at the Court of William III., of England; 
and, although he adopted the secular habit, he always added to his signa- 
ture the title of "Missionary Kecollet and Apostolic Notary." He died in 
Holland about the year 1700. 



Henry, Alexander. He was born in New Jersey in 1740; in 1760 

he accompanied the expedition of General Amherst, and was present at the 
reduction of Fort Levi, on Lake Ontario, and the surrender of Montreal. 
After the concpiest of Canada he became a fur-trader, and spent sixteen 
years as such (from 1760 to 1776) in the country of the Great Lakes, and 
in 1809 he published an account of his adventures at Mackinaw and his 
travels in Canada and the Indian Territories. He died in 1824. In his 
book are to be found some good descriptions of life and scenery along the 
more northern shores of Michigan, 



Horner, John T. He was born in Virginia, and in September, 1835, 

he was appointed by President Jackson Secretary of the Territory of Mich- 
igan, to wliich duties were very soon added those of Acting Governor of the 
same ; but a few months after the State Constitution was ratified by the 
people, he was appointed Secretary of the newly-organized Territory of Wis- 
consin, beyond wliich point, unfortunately, we have not been able to pursue 
his career. His appointment to a leading position in Michigan, at a time 
when political feeling ran high, was very distasteful to the people of the 
State ; and so unpopular was the new appointee, that in some instances he 
was treated with personal discourtesy, which probably accounts for his 
ephemeral residence within the limits of Michigan. 



HosFORD, Oramel. He was born in Thetford, Orange county, Ver- 
mont, May 7,1820; graduated at Oberlin College, Ohio, in 184o; was 
appointed Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy in Olivet College, Micli- 
igan, in 1846, to the duties of which position, as well as those of his clerical 
profession, as a clergyman of the Congregational Church, he was constantly 
devoted, in the town of Olivet, until 1864, when he was elected to the hon- 
orable and highly responsible office of Superintendent of Public Instruction 
for the State of JMichigan, which he continues to retain. His annual reports 
have won for him the good opinion of all the people of JMichigan who feel 
an interest in the cause of education ; and a revised edition of the School 
Laws of Michigan, xvith Notes and Forms, was published by autlun-ity of the 
State in 1869, a copy of which is furnished to each district, township, and 
county (jfficer in the State who may be concerned in the administration of 
the school laws. 



Houghton, DouglAvSS. He was born in Troy, New York, September 

21, 1809, and was educated for the medical profession at the liensselaer 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 449 

Institute in his n-ative place, where he graduated in 1829. The following 
year he was appointed Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Natural His- 
tory in the Institute; and while occupying this position he went to Detroit, l)y 
request of the citizens, to deliver a course of lectures on scientific subjects. 
In I80I he was licensed to practice as a physician ; and in the same year 
was appointed surgeon and botanist to the expedition sent out by the (jrov- 
ernnu'nt to explore the sources of the Mississippi river, and made an able 
and valuable report. On his return he settled in Detroit, and practiced 
his i)rofession until 1837, when he was appointed Geologist for the State. 
From that time until his death he continued faithfully to discharge his 
laborious duties, and accomplished much towards developing the resources 
of the State, especially in attracting attention to its mineral wealth. In 
1842 he was elected Mayor of Detroit; and, from its organization, was" one 
of the professors of the University. lie was also a member of the National 
Institute in Washington, of the Boston Society of Natural History, and an 
honorary member of the Royal Antiquarian Society of Copenhagen, and 
of many other scientific and literary associations. He was drowned in Lake 
Superior, near the mouth of Eagle river, during a violent storm, October 
13, 1845, and his death was a great public loss, especially to the State of 
Michiijau. 



Howard, Jacob ^I. He was born in Shaftsbury, Vermont, July 10, 

180'); was educated at the Academies of Bennington and Brattlcborough, 
and at Williams' College, where he graduated in 1830; studied law, and 
taught in an academy in Massachusetts for a time; removed to Michigan 
in 1832, and came to the bar of that Territory in 1833; in 1838 he was a 
member of the Legislature of the State ; from 1841 to 1843 he was a Kep- 
resentative in Congress from Michigan ; in 1851 he appeared for the ])eople 
in the great legal trial known as the Railroad Conspiracy Case, in Michi- 
gan; in 1854 he was elected Attorney-General of the State, twice re-elected, 
and serving in all six years; and in 18G2 he was elected a Senator in Con- 
gress, in the place of K. S. Bingham, deceased, for the term ending in 18G5, 
serving as chairman of the Committee on the Pacific Railroad, and a mem- 
ber of the Committees on Military AflJiiirs, the Judiciary, and Private Land 
Claims. He was re-elected a Senator in Congress for the term commencing 
in 18G5 and ending in 1871, serving on the Library Committee, and those 
on Claims, Private Land Claims, the Library, the Special Joint Committee 
on the Rebellious States, and as chairman of that of Ordnance. He re- 
ceived from Williams' College, in 186G, the degree of LL.D., and was a 
delegate to the Philadelphia "Loyalists' Convention" of the same year. 
As an author, he published in 1847 a translation from the French of the 
Secret Memoirs of the Empress Josephine. He drew up the platform of the 
fii-st convention ever held of the Republican i)arty, in 1854, and is said to 
have ffiven it its name. 



Howard, William A. He Avas born in Vermont; graduated at Mid- 

dlebury College in 1839 ; and, having taken up his residence in jNIicliigan, 
•was elected a Representative from that State to the Thirty-fourth and 
Thirty-fifth Congresses, and was a member of the Committee on Ways and 
Means. In 1851 he appeared for the defendants in the famous legal trial 
known as the Railroad Conspiracy Case. Having contested the seat of G. 
2 



450 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

B. Cooper in 1860, he became a Represeutative in the Thirty-sixth Con- 
gress, serving as a member of the Select Committee of Tliirty-ihree. In 
1861 he was appointed by President Lincoln postmaster at Detroit. He 
was also a delegate to the Philadelphia "Loyalists' Convention" of 1866. 
In 1S69 he was apjDointed by President Grant Minister to China, but de- 
clined the position. 



Hull, William. He was born in Derby, Connecticut, June 24, 1753; 

graduated at Yale College in 1772; came to the bar in 1775, but soon en- 
tered the Revolutionary army as a Captain ; was rapidly promoted, and 
became Inspector of the army under Baron Steuben ; was present at the 
battles of White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Stillwater, Saratoga, Monmouth, 
and Stony Point, and for his services at Morrisiana he received the thanks 
of Washington. Two years after his surrender he was tried by court-mar- 
tial and sentenced to be sliot, but on account of his age and public services 
the sentence was remitted by President JNIadison, by whom he had been 
made commander-in-chief It is now agreed among historians that his rea- 
sons for giving up Detroit to the British General Brock were not founded 
in cowardice or disloyalty. In 1824 he published a series of letters in vin- 
dication of himself, and died at Newton, Massachusetts, November 29, 1825. 



Humphrey, Levi S. He was born in Vermont, and was among the 

earliest emigrants to IMichigan after it became an organized Territory. He 
was f jr many years the Stage Coach King of the Lake Country, and proba- 
bly did more than any other man to improve the breed of horses in the 
Northwest, and at one time he commanded great influence as a politician. 
He was for some years engaged in mercantile pursuits with Daniel S. Ba- 
con ; was a member of the State Legislature; was one of the Commissioners 
to locate the Southern and Central Railroads of IMichigan ; and he was con- 
nected with the Government as Register of the Land Office at Monroe, and 
as United States Marshal for the District of Michigan. Was afterwards a 
contractor on the Great Western and Grand Trunk Railroads in Canada, 
and subsequently returned to his old residence in Monroe, Michigan, where 
he died in 1869. Those who knew him personally can never forget his im- 
posing personal appearance (for his stature was uncommonly large) as well 
as his gentle manners and kind heart. 



Hunt, Henry I. He emigrated fi-om New York to Detroit at an 

early date; was a citizen of that place prior to the surrender of Hull, and 
a witness of the exciting events of that day ; he held a commission as colo- 
nel of militia, and was on intimate terms of friendship with General Cass. 
His profession was that of a merchant, in which he occupied a high rank; 
and in 1826 he was elected Mayor of the city of Detroit, and died in that 
year before the expiration of his term of office. Col. Thomas L. McKcnney 
mentions the fact in his "Tour to the Lakes" that he had seen " few men 
in his life who j)ossessed more of the confidence and affection of those who 
knew him, and that the feeling of regret at his death was universal." 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 451 

Hunt, James B. He was a native of New York, and for many years 

law partner witli JMichael HoHhian. He removed to Mieliij^an alx-ut the 
time of its admission into tlie Union, and was soon called to responsible 
public trusts. He was a member of Congress from Michigan from 1843 to 
1847. He died in Poutiac, Michigan, August 15, 1857, aged 58 years. 



JoGUES, Isaac. He was born in Orleans, France, in 1G07 ; and before 

he had attained his thirtieth year we find him laboring among the Huron 
Indians as a Jesuit nii.ssionary, and visiting what was called the Tol)acco 
Nation, north of Lake Erie. In 1G41 ho, with Charles Ilaymbault, passed 
along the shore of Lake Huron northward, entered the strait through which 
Lake .Superior discharges itself, pushed on as far as the Saute de Ste. jMarie, 
and preached the Faith to two thousand Ojibwas and other Algonquins 
there assembled. Not long afterwards, in his great zeal to convert (lie In- 
dians, he visited Quebec for the purpose of obtaining necessary supplies for 
his mission, when he fell into an ambuscade, was taken prisoner by the Iro- 
quois, with Avhom he was compelled to travel through Lake George to the 
Mohawk Towns, where he was cruelly tortured, but from which he finally 
made his escape, and, going down the Hudson to Manhattan, sailed from 
that place to France in 1GG4. On reaching Paris he was the lion of the 
hour, and having been summoned into the presence of the Queen, Anne of 
Austria, she bent and kissed his mutilated hands, while the ladies of the 
Court thronged around to do him homage because t)f his sufferings while a 
slave of the Mohawks. But these courtly honors were not in keeping with 
his simple tastes, and he soon returned again to the wilderness. The event- 
ful story of his life may l)e found in the Jesuit Relation of 1043. He was 
a finished scholar, and might have acquired distinction in literature, but he 
preferred the trials and dangers of a missionary life, for which he was physi- 
cally uusuited. A number of books were written of which he was the hero, 
and one was published from his own pen entitled Novum Belgium. 



JoiiNSOX, FiiAXKLiN. He was born in Vermont ; received a legal 

education ; and became a resident of Monroe, JMichigan, in 1835, with 
which place he was intinuiteiy and honorably identified during the remain- 
der of his life. While constantly engaged in practicing his profession, he 
found time to fijl a v^iriety of public positions. He was at one time Attor- 
ney for the city of Monroe; also Prosecuting Attorney for the State, and 
Judge of Probate, and lastly, Judge of the Circuit Court for the First Dis- 
trict of ^lichigan for six years. He always maintained a high position at 
the bar, and it is said that his decisions as Circuit Judge were very seldom 
reversed by the Supreme Court. He died in Monroe October 11, 1870. 



Johnson, Oliver. He was a native of Falley Cross-Roads. Massa- 
chusetts, and emigrated to Michigan in 181G; and having located himself 
on the River Raisin, was long a successful merchant and trader in furs. In 
1825 he was appointetl Judge of Probate, and held the office a number of 
years. He was a man of superior talents ; possessed great energy of char- 
acter ; was a dignified geutleman in his bearing ; a leader in all bouevoleut 



452 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

and Christian enterprises ; and did much to advance the cause of religion 
in the new settlements by his able advocacy and active friendship. He was 
a Presidential Elector in 1857. He died in Monroe several years ago, and 
left a son, Charles G. Johnson, who has for many years been a prominent citi- 
zen and a banker in that city. His father-in-law, Henry Disbrow, was a 
man of the same high character, and was f )r many years a leading author- 
ity throughout the valley of the River Raisin in all matters appertaining 
to horticulture and agriculture. 



Johnson, Richard M. He was born in Kentucky in 1780, and died 

at Frankfort November 19, 1850. In 1807 he was chosen a Representative 
in Congress from Kentucky, which post he held until 1813. In 1813 he 
raised a volunteer regiment of cavalry of one thousand men to fight the 
British and Indians on the Lakes, and, during the cami)aign that followed, 
served with great credit under General Harrison as Colonel of that regi- 
ment. He greatly distinguished himself at the battle of the Thames, and 
the chief Tecumseh is said to have been killed by his hand ; and f)r this 
reason we have thought it proper to introduce him in this collection of 
sketches. In 1814 he was appointed Indian Commissioner by President 
Madison, fie was again Representative in Congress from 1813 to 1>!19. 
In 1819 he went from tlie House into the United States Senate to fill an 
unexpired term ; was re-elected to the Hcmse, and remained there until 
1837, when he became Vice President, and as such presided over the Sen- 
ate. At the time of his death he was a member of the Kentucky Legisla- 
ture, and he died from a second attack of paralysis. He was a kind- 
hearted, courageous, and talented man. 



Johnston, John. He was born near the Giant's Causeway in Ireland 

in 1703, and his connections were of the highest character on the score of 
social position, intellectual culture, and wealth. He emigrated to the Uni- 
ted States during the Presidency of Washington, and was wont to boast 
that he had shaken him by the hand. After enduring many vicissitudes in 
Canada, he settled at the Saute de Ste. Maria in 1793, wliere he continued to 
reside until his death. He was a leading frontier merchant for more than 
forty years, and although far removed from the comforts of civilization, 
there was always a refined and cultured atmosphere about his modest ht)me. 
In 1814 Ids property was plundered by the Americans, through the instru- 
mentality of personal enemies or rivals in trade ; and in consequence of 
that he re-visited Irehmd, sold his patrimonial estate, and tlius obtained 
a new start in tiie worhl. He did much as a writer upon Indian his- 
tory ; had a well-descended Indian woman for his wife, who, in her own 
person did so much for the American cause that General Cass called her 
his friend and a benefactress; and it was the eldest daughter of that 
woman, a lovely girl who was sent to Europe to be thoroughly educated, 
who subsequently became the wife of the historian of the Indians, Henry 
R. Schoolcraft. 



JoLiET, Louis. He was born in Quebec in 1G45; educated for the 

Jesuit Priesthood ; biit soon renouncing the cowl and vestments, became 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 453 

a fur-trader and an explorer. He was designated by Talon, the intendant 
of Canada, about the year 1672, as a suitable person to explore the copper 
mines of Lake Superior, and altiiough the expedition which he performed 
was unsuccessful as a speculation, it resulted in the production of one of 
the first maps of that region of country, lie was subsecjucntly sent by 
Frontenac to discover the Mississippi, and with La Salle and Mar(|uette 
])articipated, to some extent, in accomplishing the discovery. On his return, 
he lost all his papers while passing down the rapids of the St. Lawrence, 
above INIontreal, and could only make a verbal report to the Government. 
As a return for his services, he was presented with the Island of Anticosta, 
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where he settled with his family, built a fort, 
and continued his old employment of trading with the Indians. When the 
British came into power, his j)ossessions were all confiscated, and he was 
sent as a prisoner to Quebec, where he is supposed to have died about the 
year 1737. 



Jones, De Garmo. He was one of the earliest settlers in Detroit, and 

as a merchant was for many years a prominent actor in all the important 
business enterprises of the city and State. It was thniugh his sagacity and 
means that the plaster-beds on the Grand river were first brought to light. 
He was a man of culture, and although, nothing of a politician, he was 
clectc'il Mayor of Detroit in lSo9, and died in that city, at a good old age 
in 1S46. His son, bearing the same name, served with credit as an officer 
during the rebellion, and is now a resident of Detroit. 



Jones, George "NV. Born at Vincennes, Indiana, and graduated at 

Transylvania University, Kentucky, in 1>^25. He was bred to the law, but 
ill health prevented him from practicing. He was Clerk of the United 
States District Court in Missouri, in 1>'2G ; served as an Aid-de-camp to Gen- 
eral Henry Dodge in the Black Hawk war; was chosen Ci)lonel of Militia 
in l>^o'2; subsecjuently Majur-Geiu'ral ; also Jutlge of a County Court; 
in lSo5 was elected a Delegate to Congress from the Territory of ]\liehi- 
gan, and served two years; in 1^39 was appointed by President Van Bu- 
rcn. Surveyor Creneral of the Northwest ; was removed in l!S41 for his 
ptilitics, but re-appi)inted by President Polk, and remained in the office 
until 1>'49; in I>i4"^ he was elected a United States Senator from Iowa for 
six years, and re-elected in 1>'52 f )r six years, officiating as Chairman of 
the Committees on Pensions, and on Enrolled Bills, and as a meiul)er of 
the Committee on Territories. At the conclusion of his last term he was 
ai>pointed, by President Buchanan, ^Minister to New Granada. In ISGl he 
was charged with disloyalty, and imprisoned in Fort Warren. 



JoUETT, C. All that the compiler happens to know in regard to this 

person is, that in 1^03, he was an Indian agent for the General Govern- 
ment, and was located in Detroit. He deserves mention in this place, 
however, if, for no other reason, because he wrote an account of the con- 
dition of Detroit and the surrounding country, in the year above-named, 
which will be found printed in the American tState Paper.'', and is of great 
value to all persons interested in the early history of Michigan. 



454 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Kearsley, Jonathan. lie was born in Pennsylvania, and entered 

the army as a First Lieutenant in l'^12; was made an Adjutant in 1813; 
served with distinction in 1814, in the defence of Fort Erie, in which he 
was severely wounded, having lost a leg, and for which he was promoted to 
the rank of Captain, and that of Major by Brevet ; and he retired from 
the military service in 1815. In 1817 he was appointed a Collector of In- 
ternal Revenue in Pennsylvania ; in 1820 he was appointed by President 
Monroe Receiver for the Land Office at Detroit, Avhich highly responsible 
position he held until l'^47; in l''^29 he was elected Mayor of Detroit; was 
four times appointed a Regent of the State University; and after a long 
career of usefulness and honor, and lamented by a large circle of friends, 
he died in Detroit in 1855. 



Kellogg, Francis W. Born in Worthington, Hampshire County, 

Massachusetts, May oO, 1810; received a limited education, and, having 
removed to Michigan, entered into the business of lumbering. He served 
in the Legislature of Michigan, and was elected a Representative from that 
State to the Thirty-sixth Congress, serving as a member of the Committee 
on Invalid Pensions; was re-elected to the Thirty -seventh Congress, serving 
on the Committees on Public Lands, and on Expenditui-es in tlie Post Office 
Department; and was also re-elected to the Thirty-eighth Congress, and was 
a member of the Committee on Military Affiiirs. He performed the remark- 
able task of raising six regiments of cavalry during the rebellion. In 1865 
he was appointed, by President Johnson, Collector of Internal RcTcnue for 
Alabama ; and subsequently elected to Congress from that State. 



Kingsbury, Jacob. He was born in Connecticut, in 1755, and entered 

the United States army as a lieutenant in 17i>9 ; removed to the western 
frontier about the commencement of the present century, and was for many 
years on duty at Detroit and Mackinaw, and subsequently at Belf )ntaine, 
then at the mouth of the Mississippi river, at Fort Adams on the same river, 
and at New Orleans, He rose, by regular course, to the rank of Inspector 
General, and for gallant services performed on the Ohio river in 1791, he 
was highly complimented by General Josiah Harmar. He retired from 
the army in 1815, and took up his residence in IMissouri, where he died in 
1837. lie was the father of Julius J. B. Kingsbury, the worthy son of a 
distinguished father; and Harmar's handsome letter to the former, as well 
as an original drawing, made by him of Detroit as it appeared in 1800, are 
among the historical ti-easures of the compiler of this volume. 



Kingsbury, Julius J. B. He was theson of General Jacob Kingsbury, 

and born in Connecticut in 1801 ; and educated at West Point, where he 
graduated in 1823, The first eight years of his official life as Second Lieu- 
tenant were spent at Fort Brady and Fort Gratiot, in Michigan; in 1831 
he was made a First Lieutenant and stationetl at Fort Niagara, New York; 
was on the " Black Hawk Expedition" in 1831, and also stationed at Fort 
Dearborn, Illinois; in 1833 he was again returned to Fort Brady, and also 
stationed at Saute de Ste. Marie and ^lackinaw ; and in 1>'37 he was made 
a Captain, and after some service in Florida, Maine, and New York, was 
returned for the third time to Fort Brady iu 1845, He served with dis- 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 455 

tinction in the Mcxicail war, participating; in the siege of Vera Crnz, the 
battles of Cerro Gordo, of Coutreras, Churubusco, IMolino del Rcy, and in 
the capture of the City of Mexico, and for his gallant and meritorious 
conduct, he was made a Brevet Major in 1847, ami full Major in 184*J. In 
tiie latter year he went to California, and after remaining there three or 
four years on frontier duty, he tired of his j)rofession, and was dismissed 
from the army f »r absence from duty witln)Ut authority. He died in Wash- 
ington city, June 2G, 1850. 



KiPvKLAND, Caroline INI. As this accomi)lished Avoman si)ont two 

years in Detroit and nearly another year in the interior of jNIichigan, and 
as her experiences in the West resulted in not less than three popnhir books 
associated with l\[ichigan, a notice of licr in this phice is most appropriate. 
Her nuiiden name was Stansbury, and she was l)orn in the city of JXew York. 
On becoming the wife of William Kirkhmd, himself an author of repute, 
she lived for some years in Geneva, New York ; then settled in JMichigan ; 
and in 1843 she returned to her native city. Her books respecting Michigan 
were published under the assumed name of Mary Clavers, and entitled 
"A New Home; Who II Follow f "Forest Life;" and "Western Clearings." 
They nuule their appearance in 1839, 1842, and 1846; in the latter year 
she i)ublished an edition of Edmund Spencer's Writinr/s ; in 1847 became the 
editress of the Union Magazine; in 1848 she visited Europe and j)uhlished 
Holidays Abroad; iu 1852 she published two gift books, and in 18.33, the 
Book of the Home Circle. Subsequently her pen was somewhat idle, 
although her productions were always j)opular, but none of them as much 
so as those associated with Michigan. iShe died April 6, 18G4. 



Knaggs, James. He was born at R )che de Bout, on the river Mau- 

mee, about the year 1780, and from early life was familiar with tlie woods 
and their savage inhabitants. During the war of 1812 he rendered the 
Government important aid as a volunteer soldier and Indian fighter ; and 
soon after Wayne's campaign he settled at Frenchtown and became a 
farmer. In 1811 he established a regular ferry at the Huron river, on the 
road between Frenchtown and Detroit, with only Indians f )r his neighbors. 
These, excited against all Americans by British emissaries, were very 
troublesome, and Knaggs had frequent and desperate conflicts with them. 
On one occasion he thrashed an Indian f )r some misconduct, and when a 
brother of the vagabond came at midnight to avenge the insult, a struggle 
ensued, which resulted in the breaking of every bone in the body of the 
Indian by means of a club. He was a leading man among the " Raisin 
men," who were called by General Harrison " the best tro()ps iu the world," 
and with them he was engaged in the various conflicts near Detroit, and 
under Colonel Richard M. Johnson, was present at the battle of the 
Thames, and was the man who identified the body of Tecumseh, with whom 
he had been acquainted. He performed a great many brave and patriotic 
deeds as a spy, scout, ranger, and general fighter ; and a British officer 
named McGreggor, whom he had cai)tured and carried to Hull's camp, 
subsequently offered a reward of five hundred dollars f )r his head. lie 
was the youngest of five brothers, all of whom were active in the military 
service, while one of them was killed at Chicago, and another captured and 



456 BIOGRAFHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

of the battle there, and was one of those whom Proctor ordered away. She 
was then in her eightieth year, and having been robbed of her clothing, 
thinly clad, she proceeded in an open traineau and reached Detroit in safety. 
When asked how it happened that she did not perish, she replied, " My 
spunk kept me warm." The noted sou of this worthy woman died in De- 
troit on the 23d of December, 18G0. 



Knight, Henky C. He was born in East Bethlehem, Washington 

County, Pennsylvania, September 3, 1817 ; graduated at Jefferson College, 
Canonsburg, in 1836 ; and after spending one year at the Yale Law School, 
he removed in 1S37 to Michigan, and continued his legal studies. On 
being admitted to the bar in l!^39, he settled in Pontiac, where he remained 
until 1848. From that time until 1853 he was devoted to teaching in a 
classical school, and to the ministry, when his health became impaired, and 
he settled in Detroit, and resumed the practice of his profession. He was 
a useful member of the Board of Education for several terms, and one of 
the fjrcmost of that body in caring for the wants of the children of Detroit, 
and furthering the cause of education generally ; and he was for ten years 
the much-beloved Superintendent of the Sabbath School, attached to the 
Fort Street Presbyterian Church. He was twice elected to the Councils of 
Detroit as Alderman ; was a Regent of the State University f )r nearly four 
years ; and also Prosecuting Attorney for Wayne County, which last two 
positions he held at the time of his death, which occurred in Detroit March 
26, 18G7. When in the Council of Detroit, he was the Republican candi- 
date for President of that body ; and although there were two hundred bal- 
lots cast, extending through a period of two months, a tie vote i)revented 
his election. Taken as a whole, iiis life was highly useful and honorable, 
and his name will long be treasured with respect by the bar as well as the 
citizens of Detroit. 



Lahontan, Baron. He was a native of France ; bred a soldier ; 

emigrated to Canada in his sixteenth year ; and was for several years in 
command of a f »rt in Northern Michigan, chiefly at IMichilimackinac. He 
spent about eleven years, from 1683 to 1694, in explorations along the St. 
Lawrence and in the country of the Great Lakes. He published the result 
of his adventures and observations in Paris, and some of his views so 
offended the Government of France he was obliged to take up his residence 
in llolhind. He subsequently removed to England; and his letters from 
the wihlerness, which had been revised by Count Frontenac, were "done 
into English," and with much information, omitted in the original French 
edition, were published in London in 1735. The work contained a number 
of maps, which have an interest for lovers of history. He cherished a 
strong animosity toward the Government of France ; and in s])eaking of 
his letters in the English edition, he says they were "addressed to an old 
bigoted relation of mine, who fed on devotion, and dreaded the influence of 
the court." When in the employ of the French, he gloried in the title of 
"Lord Lieutenant of the French Colony at Phicentia, in Newfoundhind." 
In his work there are no less than f )ur chapters devoted to affairs in and 
about Michilimackinac ; and the j)lace and date of his death are unknown. 
In the preceding pages his name is misprinted Lahonton. 



BIOGRAPHICAL RISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 457 

Lanman, Charles. Born in Monroe, Michigan, June 14, 1819, and 

was the .son of Charles James Lanman ; received an Academical educa- 
tion in Plainfield, Connecticut ; was a clerk in the house of Suydam, Jack- 
son & Co., New York, from 1835 to 1845, when he revisited his birth place, 
and for a few months edited the Monroe Gazette; was associate editor in 
184G of the Cincinnati Chronicle, with Edwartl D. INIansiield ; and alter 
making a canoe tour of the ^Mississippi and through Lake Superior, returned 
to New York, and was associated as a writer with The Daily Krprcss. In 
1848 he visited Washington, and became a writer and travelling corres- 
pondent of the National Intelligencer ; and while residing in Georgetown, 
D. C, continued in the service of that journal until the death of its editors, 
Gales & Seaton. As an amateur, he paid some attention to art, and trav- 
elled extensively throughout the United States. In Washington, he held 
the positions of Librarian of the War Department, Librarian of Copyrights 
in the State Department, and Private Secretary of Daniel Webster, Libra- 
rian of the Interior Department, and Librarian of the House of Repre- 
sentatives. Besides writing for the Press and the Magazines at home, in 
1857 he became the American correspondent of the Illustrated London 
News, and in 1869 of the London Athenaeum. As an author he has pub- 
lished the ibllowing: Esmy,^ for Summer Hours, three editions; A iSummer 
in the Wilderness ; A Tour to the River Saguenay, republished in England ; 
Letters from the Alleghany Mountains; Occasional Records of a Tourist; Pri- 
vate Life of Daniel Webster, republished in England ; Adventures in the 
Wilds of America, made I'rom previous publications, printed in two volumes, 
and repul)lishcd in England, with introductory letters from Washington 
Irving ; Dictionary of Congress, six editions, three of them published by the 
General Government; Life of William Woodbridge ; and as editor he has 
published Prison Life of Alfred Ely, and two volumes of Sermons, by Kev. 
Octavius Periuchief. — [^Abridged from AlUbone's Dictionary of Authors. 



Lanman, Charles James. He was the son of James Lanman, for- 
merly a Judge and Senator in Congress, and burn in Norwich, Connecticut, 
June 5, 1795. He graduated with honors at Yale College in 1814 ; studied 
law with his kinsman, Roger Griswold, as well as with his father; and was 
admitted to the bar early in 1S17, in New London. Soon afterwards he 
was invited by Henry Clay to settle in Kentucky, but decided to seek his 
fortune in the Territory of Michigan, on the invitation of his friends, Wul 
Woodbridge and Lewis Cass. He made the journey from Buffalo to De- 
troit chiefly on horse back. Joining Mr. Woodbridge in his law office, he 
began the practice of his profession, and while riding the circuit, he visited 
Frenchtown, on the River Raisin, (now called Mtmroe,) where he perma- 
nently settled. In that place he held many local positions, such as Attor- 
ney for the Territory, Judge of Probate, Colonel of Militia, and he was also 
Inspector of Customs, and Postmaster of Frenchtown. In 1823 President 
Monroe appointed him Receiver of Public Moneys f)r the District of ^lich- 
igan, and he was re-appointed by President Adams, holding the office eight 
years. In those early days specie was the only currency in vogue, and the 
receipts of silver alone, in one year amounted to a hundred tJiousand dol- 
lar, which had to be transmitted to Detroit, through the wilderness, on pack 
horses; and it is worth mentioning, that when he visited Washington twenty- 
five years afterwards, he was olticially inf >rnied tiuit there was a handsome 
balance of money due him by the United States Treasury on account of 
2 C * 



458 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

his services as Receiver. He was one of the founders of Tecumseh, Mich- 
igan ; was a Commissioner to locate the county seats of many of the lead- 
ing counties in the State, including Ionia, Kent, and Clinton ; was the Sur- 
veyor, and once the sole owner of the land where now stands the city of 
Grand Rapids ; while the same is true of several other flourishing towns in 
the State. Although not a practical farmer, at one period of his life, he 
indulged his agricultural tastes by carrying on one or two farms, and he 
was among the very first to introduce into Michigan, from Kentucky and 
Virginia, the best breeds of blooded horses. In 1835, from family consid- 
erations, he returned to Norwich. During the financial revulsion of 1837 
he lost the bulk of his property, all of which was located in IMichigan ; 
and in 1838 he was elected Mayor of Norwich; was subsequently Presi- 
dent of the Norwich Water-Power Company ; and at the conclusion of 
that service he lived chiefly in retirement. In 1862, lured by early 
recollections, and because of his intense love of the scenery and air of the 
ocean, he came to New London to reside; died in this city July 25, 1870, 
and was buried among his kindred in Norwich. — lAbridged from a New 
London paper. 



Lanman, James H. He was the son of James Lanraan, of Connecti- 
cut, and born in Norwich, in that State, December 4, 1812. He was edu- 
cated at Washington, now Trinity C\)llege, Hartford ; and having studied 
law at Harvard College, came to the bar, and for a few years practiced his 
profession in Norwich and New London, and also for a short time in Balti- 
more, Maryland. A short time before Michican became a State, he visited 
it on a tour of pleasure, by invitation of his brother, J. Lanman, and 
having become interested in the country and people, he spent one or two 
years there, and then, under authority of tlie new State, published in 1839, 
his History of Michigan. Two years afterwards he prepared and published 
an abridgment of this work in Harper's Family Library, and which, with 
the author's consent, has been freely used in the first part of the present 
volume. He was also a contributor to the National Portrait Gallery, the 
North American and American Quarterly Reviews, and the Jurist, and 
for several years was the leading writer for Hunt's IMerchant's Magazine, 
to which he contributed a large number of highly useful and important 
articles connected with the commerce of the country. Of late years he has 
lived in retirement in his native town. 



Larned, Charles. He was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts ; edu- 
cated at Williams' College in that State; and in 1811 he emigrated to Ken- 
tucky, where he became a law student in the office of Henry Clay. In 1813 
he joined the army of General Harrison as an officer, on its way to the 
Lake country, and was present at the battle of the Thames. At the close 
of the war he settled in Detroit, and for many years, was one of the most 
active lawyers in that place, and a most influential citizen. His profes- 
sional learning was highly respectable, but his great strength lay in his 
eloquence before a jury. Here, as Senator Howard inf)rmed the writer, he 
was highly distinguished — recognized by all his associates as an ingenious 
and powerful advocate in a contested case, depending upon close analysis 
of testimony, and an appeal to the leelings. On such occasions he showed 
great power, and his eloquence was enhanced by the imposing appearance 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 459 

of liis person, and the wonderful music of his voice. Another tribute to his 
ability will be found iu the "Life of William Woodbridge." lie died in 
Detroit many years ago. lie was a cousin, we believe, of General Benja- 
min F. Lamed, and left a son, who is a well known lawyer iu Detroit. 



Lakned, Benjamin F. He was born in ]\Iassachusetts ; entered the 

army as an Ensign in 1813 ; rose within one year to the rank of First 
Lieutenant, and as such, served with honor at the battle of Fort Erie, under 
General Gaines, and for his gallant conduct was made a Captain ; soon 
after, he entered tiie Paymaster's service; in 1847 was made Deputy Pay- 
master General, and in l'S')4 became the Paymaster General, serving his 
country in that capacity for nuuiy years with rare fidelity. A large ])ro- 
portion of his early official life was spent in Michigan, and among the older 
citizens of Detroit will always be remembered with peculiar gratification. 
Charles Lamed, long a prominent lawyer of Detroit, was a relative of his, 
(we believe his cousin,) and he iiad two sons in the army, one of whom 
distinguished himself as an officer at the battle of Chepultepec in Mexico. 
He died in Washington City, September 6, 1862, lamented by a large circle 
of friends. 



La Salle, Robert Cavelier. He was bom at Rouen, France, in 

1643, came of a wealthy family and was highly educated. lie arrived in 
Canada in 1G6G, obtained a grant of land which he named Lc Chine, by 
way of commemorating his pet idea that he was to discover a new pathway 
across the continent to China. In 1(570 he started upon his discoveries, spent 
much of his time on the soil of Michigan, and discovered the Ohio and 
Illinois rivers. He arrived at Detroit iu 1679, in his sailing vessel called 
the Griffin, which was the first craft of the kind that ever i)lowed the waves 
of Lake Erie. Her burthen was sixty tons, and she carried five guns. As a 
reward for his first explorations. La Salle was made a noblenuin ; he sub- 
sequently performed two important ex[)loriiig expeditions; and in 1687 was 
assassinated on Trinity river in Texas. The filling up of this man's life, 
constitutes one of the most romantic and interesting chapters of bold ex- 
ploits and wild adventure, blended with disa])p()intmcnts and hardships, 
which can anywhere be f )und. He spent 800,000 francs of his own money, 
on his various expeditions, and died with debts amounting to 100,000 livres. 
His purpose was an ins[)iration, and he clung to it with a certain fanaticism 
of devotion. It was the oflspring of an ambition vast and comprehensive, 
yet acting in the interest both of France and civilization. The lamijy bear- 
ing the same name, which settled on the River Raisin, at a later day, was 
allied to that of the great discoverer. 



Laughton, John B. He was born in Detroit, ^Michigan, but having 

at an early day, taken up his residence on thu Canatlian side of the Detroit 
river, he has always been a British subject. He was a member of the Kent 
Militia in 1812; and from Sandwich he saw the white flag which proclaim- 
ed the surrender of Dotnjit. He was then iu his twenty-second year. He 
was afterwartls engaged in the affair of Long Wooils, in Canada; also at 
the battle of Chippewa, where he lost a brother ; and at Niagara, where he 



460 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

was captured and taken as a prisoner to Greenbush, opposite Albany. At 
the present writing he is one of the oldest residents of Sandwich. 



Lawrence, Wolcott. He was born in Berkshire county, Massa- 
chusetts, in 1786, and was among the earliest settlers on the River Raisin, 
arriving there in 1816, where he was for many years an able and success- 
ful lawyer, for which profession he had prepared himself before leaving 
MassacliusetLs. There were times, however, when the law busiuess was stag- 
nant, and tiieu it was that he turned some attention to the manufacture of 
flour. He served a number of terms in the State Legislature; held the 
oUice of Judge ; and duriug his long and very active career, worked quite 
as hard for tlie public weal as for his owu advantage, and he died at Mon- 
roe iu April, 1843. One of his daughters, who was the first American child 
born in Monroe, became the wife of Alpheus Felch, and he left a number 
of sons, one of whom served with credit in the army during the late rebel- 
lion ; while another, Edwin Lawrence, became a Judge of the Circuit Court 
of tlie State. By his ability and high moral character he exerted a happy 
influence upon the commuuity, where he was always highly honored. He 
participated with Musgrove Evans and Charles J. Lanmau in founding the 
town of Tecumseh, in 1824; and in conjunction with Daniel S. Bacon, 
erected the tii-st frame house ever built in Monroe. 



Lefevere, Peter Paul. He was born in Roulers, Belgium, near 

Ghent, in May, 1804; after passing through a course of theological studies 
he offered himself to the American mission, and was ordained a Roman 
Catholic priest at St. Louis in 1831 ; after laboring in that region for eight 
years he visited Europe, and in 1841 was appointed Bishop of Zela in part, 
coadjutor administrator of the diocess of Detroit, and was consecrated in 
November of that year. His administration as Catholic Bishop of ^lichi- 
gan extended through a period of twenty-eight years, until his death in 
Detroit, March 4, 1869. His immediate predecessor as Bishop was Fredric 
Rese, who held the office from 1^33 to 1^40; while the administration of 
Gabriel Richard (elsewhere mentioned in this volume) extended back to 
the year 1799 ; and the successor of Bishop Lefevere was C. H. Borgoss, 
who entered upon his duties in May, 1870. The work accomplisiied by 
Bishop Lefevere, for his church was perhaps more extensive, but not more 
important than that performed by Bishop Richard. Leaving out of view 
the See of Marquette, it appears that within the diocess of Detroit there 
are now one hundred and sixty organized parishes, in the city itself, not less 
than eight churches, and among tlie institutions founded by the late Bishop 
are the following: St. Mary's Hospital, the Michigan State Retreat, tlie 
College of Lourain, together with several orphan asylums, convents, acade- 
mies and schools, while his administration of the merely temporal affairs 
of the church within the State became pre-eminently successful. In his 
day he traversed the State from one extremity to another, making long 
journeys in liis cause, and administering to the spiritual wants of his people 
among the Indian tribes and miners of Lake Superior. By way of show- 
ing his disinterested character, it has been said of him, that his death 
brought no profit to his kindred. 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 461 

Lewis, "William. lie was born in Virginia, and entered the army 

from tliat State as a Captain in 1791 ; was with General St. Clair in his 
expedition against the Indians on the Miami ; and resigned his commission 
in 1797. On the renewal of hostilities in 1812 he took charge of a Ken- 
tucky regiment of volunteers as Lieutenant-Colonel ; was with General 
Winchester in his operations in IMichigan; and served with credit in the 
action against the British and Indians at Frenchtown, in l!^13, butwas un- 
fortunate in being taken prisoner, with General Winchester and Major 
Madison, and transported to Quebec, where he was retained until 1<S14, 
when a general exchange of prisoners took place. He was subsequently 
ou duty in Arkansas, and died near Little Rock, January 17, 1825. 



Leach, De Witt C Born in Clarence, Erie County, New York, 

November 23, 1822. He was self-educated ; bred a farmer ; chosen a mem- 
ber of the Michigan Legislature in 1849 and 1850, and a member of the 
Convention to revise the State Constitution in 1850; he was also State 
Librarian in 1855 and 1856, and was elected a Representative to the Thirty- 
fifth Congress from Michigan, serving as a member of the Committee on 
Revisal and Unfinished Business; also elected to the Thirty-sixth Congress, 
serving on the Committee on Indian Affairs. After leaving Congress he 
was appointed an agent f)r the Indians of IMichigan, and subsequently 
published some interesting papers on tiie soil, climate, and jiroductious of 
the uorthern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. 



LoNGYEAR, John W. He was born in Shandaken, Ulster county, 

New York, October 22, 1820 ; received a good academic education ; removed 
to ^lichigau in 1844; studied law, and came to the bar in 184G; and was 
elected a Representative from ^Michigan to the Thirty-eighth Congress, serv- 
ing on the Committee on Commerce, and as Chairman of tlie Committee on 
Expenditures on the Public Buildings. Re-elected to the Thirty-ninth Con- 
gress, serving on the same committees ; he was also a Delegate to the Phil- 
adelphia " Loyalist's Convention " of 1866. In 1870 he was appointed by 
President Grant United States Judge for the Southern District of Michigan. 



LooMis, Cyrus O. He was educated for the bar ; and when the 

rebellion commenced was practicing his profession in Cold Water. As 
already stated in this volume, he greatly distinguished himself as an oHicer 
of artillery; and what proved to be one of the most heroic fighting batte- 
ries of the war was honored with his name. He rose to the rank of Brig- 
adier-General ; and the writer regrets that he cannot give the particulars 
of his life. 



LovELL, Louis S. He was born in Grafton, Windham County, Ver- 
mont, November 15, 1816 ; after due preparation he entered Middlebury 
College, where he graduated in 1832; and then he went South and taught 
scho(tl until 1838. He tlien read law in S[)ringtield, Vermont, and also in 
New York City, aud removed to the West iu 1841, locating himself in 



462 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Ionia, ^lichigan. He was admitted to the bar in 1842; and in 1849 he 
was appointed by President Taylor Register of the General Land Ofhce at 
Ionia, which he held until the accession of President Pierce. In 1857 he 
was elected Circuit Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit of INIichigan for 
six years ; re-elected in 1863 for a second term ; and in 1869 was re-elected 
for a third term, the party opposed to him declining to make any nomina- 
tion. Although earnestly devoted to his judicial duties, he finds time to 
participate in the local affairs of his town, and is Vice President of the 
First National Bank of Ionia, where he resides. 



Lyon, Lucius. — He was born in Vermont, but emigrated to INIichigan 
when quite a young man ; devoted himself for a number of years to the 
business of surveying the wild lands of the Territory ; was a Delegate in 
Congress from that Territory, during the years 1833, 1834, and 1835; ap- 
pointed a Regent of the State University in 1837; was a Senator in Con- 
gress from the State of Michigan from L'^36 to 1840; and a Representative 
in Congress from 1843 to 1845. His last public position was that of Sur- 
veyor-General in the North-west. Died at Detroit, September 25, 1851. 
He left a son who served in the army during a part of the Rebellion, and 
subsequently became honorably identified with the Press of Detroit; and 
before entering Congress he had himself edited the Democratic Expounder in 
Marshall. 



Mack, Stephen and Andrew. — The first of these worthy men located 
himself in Detroit as early as the year 1799, and was the pioneer merchant 
of the town. Soon after his arrival, he erected with true Yankee enterprise 
a shanty in the heart of the place, and spread out his goods to the admir- 
ing gaze of thronging customers. He was an Englishman by birth, and 
had performed military duty. In 1819 he participated with other Detroit 
citizens in building the first grain and saw mills in Pontiac. He was the 
father, as we have been informed, of Andrew Mack, who was bred a sea- 
man, was a Superintendent of Light Houses, Collector of Custoriis for the 
Port of Detroit for many years, and in 1834 was elected IMayor of the city 
for the unexpired term of Charles C, Trowbridge, who had resigned. He 
died iu 1854 at an advanced a<re. 



Macomb, Alexander. — He was the son of "William IMacomb, a fur mer- 
chant in Detroit, where he was born on the third of April, 17''*'2. On his 
mother's side he was descended from the Navarre fixmily of the River Rai- 
sin. After receiving a good education in New Jersey, was a member of the 
"New York Rangers," a volunteer corps raised in 1779; was on the staff 
of General North in the Revolution ; subsequently made himself useful as 
a dragoon; he was with General Wilkinson in the South-west; was for a 
time connected with West Point, where he con)])iled a treatise on martial 
law; became a Captain in 1805; a Major in 1808; had command of an 
artillery corps in 1812; and after many creditable exploits won special 
honor at the battle of Plattsburg for which he received the thanks of Con- 
gress with a gold medal. After the war, he was stationed at Detroit for 
many years; iu 1821 he was made Chief Engineer of the Army, and re- 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 463 

movofl to "Washington ; and in 1835 he was elevated to the position of Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the Army of the United Slates. He died in Washing- 
ton June 'io, 1841 ; was buried with military honors, (all of which he de- 
served,) in the Congressional Cemetery, and his resting place was soon 
marked by a handsome marble manument. lie was a pure and accom- 
plislied gentleman, as well as an able oflicer, and had unnnmbered friends 
in the National IMetropolis as well as the State of his nativity. lie was 
the author of a "Treatise on ISIartial Law and Courts Martial as prac- 
ticed iu the United States," published in 1800. 



Macomb, "William II. He is the son of Alexander INIacomb, and was 

born in Detroit, INIichigan. In 1834 he was appointed a Midshipman in 
the Navy from New York; became a Passed-midshipman in 1840 ; and a 
Lieutenant in 1847. After continuous service in several parts of the world 
for nine years, he was attached to the Porhmouih frigate, and parti('i[)ated 
in the capture of the Barrier Forts, in the Canton river in 1S.")(), when he 
was maile a Lieutenant; in 18.59 he had command of the steamer J/cfacome< 
on the Brazil station; iu 1860 he was transferred to the steamer Pula-'^ki ; 
in l^i)2 he sailed in the Gericssee of the blockading squadron ; was made 
Commaiuler in 1862, and performed much arduous duty at Port Hudson ; 
and during the years 1864 and '65, he had <'ommand of the steamer Sham- 
rock, and for gallantry on the coast of North Carolina, was advanced sev- 
eral numbers in the Navy Register. After the war, he was stationed at the 
Philadelphia Navy Yard, and in 18G9, was attached to the Squadron in 
European waters. 



Madisox, George. He was born in Virginia in 1763, and while quite 

a mere boy, was a good soldier in the Revolution. He commanded a com- 
pany under General St. Clair in the Northwest, and was wounded ; was 
Lieutenant of a company of mounted volunteers, under Major John Adair 
of Kentucky ; Avas wounded in an attack upon the Indians at Fort St. Clair 
in 1792 ; was a Major of Kentucky volunteers under (ieneral Winches'^er, 
and witli Colon.el Lewis in the battle with the British and Indians at l-"'ren('h- 
town, and also in the defeat on the River Raisin in 1813, when he was cap- 
tured, and with Winchester and Lewis sent a prisoner to Quebec; but was 
released in 1814. He was for many years Auditor of public accounts in 
Kentucky. In 1816 he was nominated for the office of Governor, and was so 
popular and beloved, that his opjwnent withdi-ew in the heat of the canvass, 
and he was duly elected; but died on the 14th of October of the same year 
at Paris, in Kentucky. 



IMayiiew. Ika. He was born in Ellesburgh, Jefferson County, New 

York, in 1814; after receiving a classical ethw-ation, he became a school 
teacher in 1832; in 1836 he visited Newfoundland for the benefit of his 
health; on his return in 1837 became Principal of Adam's Seminary; 
in 1841 Superintendent of the Jefferson County schools; and in 1843 ho 
removed to JMichigan, and took charge of the ^lonroe Branch of the State 
University. In 1845 he was elected Superintendent of Public Instruction; 
in 1848 received the degree of M. A. from Middlctown University; and iu 



464 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

1850 he published a work entitled "Means and Ends of Universal Educa- 
tion ;" in 1851 a work on Practical Book-keeping, which went through sixty- 
editions in ten years. In 1853 he was appointed President of Albion Col- 
lege ; in 1854 he was again elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, 
and, altogether, held the office for eight years; in 1860 he established what 
was called the Albion Commercial Odlege; in 1862 he was appointed Col- 
lector of Internal Revenue for the United States; and then tiring of that 
kind of employment, resigned the position, and returned to the management 
of his Commercial College, in which he is still engaged. 



Marquette, Jacques. He was born at Laon, France, in 1637; in his 

seventeenth year he joined the order of Jesuits; and in 1666 was sent as a 
missionary to Canada. Having a taste for language, he soon acquired a 
knowledge of six Indian dialects, and in 1668 entered upon his duties in 
the country of the Great Lakes. Mackinaw and La Pointe, on Lake Su- 
perior, were each his home for a time, after which he accompanied Joliet in 
his discoveries, visiting the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, preaching in far- 
oflf Arkansas, and founding a mission at Kaskaskia; and having died on his 
return from these extensive labors on the river which now bears his name, 
he was, after some delay, buried with much ceremony on the Island of 
Mackinaw. The ruling idea of his mind was an extravagant aftection for 
the Virgin Mary, and this peculiarity, blended with his many noble quali- 
ties as a man, won the sympathy of those who knew him, and made him a 
universal favorite. A journal of his adventures, and a map of the Xorth- 
west which he designed, have been published and found useful and interest- 
ing to the historical writers of this country. The date of his death was 
May 18, 1675, and it is said that his last words, were expressive of his grati- 
tude to Heaven, because he was about to die in peace, a Jesuit, a mission- 
ary, and alone. 



MaPvTTN, George. He was born in Middlebury, Vermont, in 1825; 

acquired a good education, and having adopted the profession of law, re- 
moved to ]\Iichigan and settled at Grand Rapids. After holding a number 
of local positions of honor and trust, he was elected a Judge of^ the Su- 
preme Court of the State, and was for several years the Chief Justice. He 
died in Detroit, December 15, 1867. 



Mason, Stevens Thomson. He was the son of General John Mason 

of Kentucky, but was born in Virginia in 1812. When nineteen years of 
age he was appointed Secretary of the Territory of Michigan, performing 
also the duties of Governor, and when the State was admitted into the 
Union, he was elected its first Governor, and re-elected to the position in 
which he served with credit to himself, and to the advantage of the people. 
He died January 4, 1843. 



May, James. He was a native of England and settled in Detroit 

in 1778. The compiler regrets that he cannot furnish the particulars 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 465 

of this judicial pioneer, who was for many years honorahly identified 
with the early history of Michigan, He was a Odonel of Militia; was 
appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas about the year 1800; 
held the office for seven years; and died in January, 1829. A good por- 
trait of him may be found in the " Early History of ]\Iichigan," by E. ^I. 
Sheldon. When the American Flag was hauled down, by order of Hull 
when he surrendered Detroit, Ci>lonel ]May got possession of the flag, and 
keeping it in a safe phice until the arrival of General Harrison, he hoisted 
it again to the breeze. An account which was jiublished from his pen, 
respecting the condition of Detroit in 1778, is a document of very great 
interest and value. 



INIetos, Heturx J. He was born in Middletown, Connecticut, in 17G5 ; 

graduated at Yale College; and adopted the profession of law, which he 
began to practice in his native town. In l'^02 he was chosen Chief Justice 
of the Supreme Court of Connecticut; in 1804 President Jefferson appointed 
him commandant of United States troops and militia in Upper Louisiana, 
and soon afterwards he became one of the Judges of that Territory. In 
1807 he was commissioned a Judge in the Territory of Michigan, which he 
resigned in 1808, and was elected (iovornor of Ohio, wliich election was 
declared invalid, as he had not resided the required time in the new .State. 
He was at once chosen a Senator in Congress, where he served from 1808 to 
1810; and he was Governor of Ohio from 1810 uutil 1814, and by his co- 
operation with General Harrison, did much to help the American cause in 
Michigan against the operations of the i3ritish. In 1814 he was appointed 
to take charge of the General PostOiHce Dv^jiartmcnt in Washington, where 
he remained until 182;">, and in whii-li pf)sition his services were important. 
He died at Marietta, Ohio, INIarch 29, 1825. His singular name is accounted 
for as follows: When his mother was a girl, and had discarded her lover, 
Jonathan Meigs, she suddenly repented her conduct, and running to the 
door, called out, " Returiv Joiuithau ! Retiu*n Jonathan!" He did return, 
and they were married, and their first child they thought proper to identily 
with this domestic joke. 



McArtirtr, Duncax. He was born in Duchess County, New York, 

in 1772. When he was eight years of age he removed with his father to 
Pennsylvania, and at the age of eighteen he volunteered in defence of the 
frontier settlement of Ohio against the Indians. He studied surveying, and 
acquired great wealth in the business of buying and selling lands in addi- 
tion to surveying them. In 1805 he was a member of the Legislature, and 
in 180G was appointed Colonel, and in 1808 Major-General of Militia. He 
performed valuable services during the war of 1813, especially within the 
limits of ^lichigan, in which he held a General's commission, and although 
elected to Congress in IS 12, declined leaving his command; in 181") was 
again a member of the Legislature; in 181G was app tinted Commissioner 
to conchulo treaties with the Indians; from 1817 to 1819 was in the Legis- 
lature, and Speaker of the House in 1815. He was a Representative in 
Congress from Ohio from 1823 to 1825, and in 1830 was chosen Governor 
of the State, which position he held until 1833, and while in that service 
met with au accident, from the effects of which, he never recovered. 
2 D 



466 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

^IcClelland, Robert. Born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in 

1807. lie graduated at Dickinson College; practiced law for a year or so 
in Pittsl)urg, and in 1833 removed to Micliigau, and established himself at 
JNIonroe, where his ])ractiee for many years was particularly successful. 
He served for several years in the Legislature of that State, and was a Rep- 
resentative in Congress from 1843 to 1849. He Avas Governor of Michigan 
in 1852 and 1853 ; and in 1853 Avas appointed Secretary of the Interior 
Department by President Pierce, the duties of which position he performed 
with recognized ability until 1857. He subsequently settled in Detroit and 
practiced his profe>^siou there. In 1870 he made a visit to Europe for the 
benefit of his health. 



McCosKRY, Samuel Allen. He was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 

November 9, 1804, and was the son of Dr. Samuel A. IMcCoskry, an emi- 
nent physician of that place, and grandson of the celebrated Dr. Nisbet, 
called by the trustees of Dickinson College to be its first President. After 
receiving the ordinary school education, he was appointed a cadet in the 
United States Military Academy, and numbered among the five distin- 
guished cadets of the first year ; he resigned in the Spring of his second 
year, and entered Dickinson College. He passed through the regular 
course in two years and three months, and was numbered fourth in his class. 
After he was graduated he read law, and was admitted to the bar in his 
native town Avheu twenty-one years of age. At the close of his first year at 
the bar he was api^ointed Deputy Attorney General of the County of Cum- 
berland, which office he held two years. lie remained at the bar six years, 
and then became a candidate for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Church, 
and studied Divinity under Bishop Ondcrdonk, of Pennsylvania. At the 
close of one year he was ordained a Deacon, and was called as the Rector 
of Christ Church, Reading, Penn. He received Priest's orders during that 
rector.-^hip, which continued one year. He was then called to St. Paul's 
Church, Philado]])hia, where he renuiincd two years. He was a])pointcd 
first Bishop of IMicliigan by the House of Bisho])'s, and was consecrated in 
St. Paul's Church, Philadelphia, July 9, 1836. He was "also called to St. 
Paul's Church, in Detroit. He entered upon his duties as Bishop and Rec- 
tor, and held the latter office twenty-seven years. As the fund for the office 
of Bishop was thought sufficient for his support, he resigned the rectorship, 
and devoted his energies to the Episcopal office. He had originally four cler- 
gymen in his dioccss, but now (here are eight parishes in Detniit ah)ne, inclu- 
ding missionary stations, and seventy-four clergymen in the dioccss, and 
eighty-one parishes. The Right-Reverend Bishop is not only a Doctor of 
Divinity, but also a Doctor of Laws, the latter conferred upon him by the 
University of Oxford. 



INTcKexney, Titomas Lorraine. He was born at Hopewell, near 

Chcstertown, Maryland, March 21, 1785; received a good education at 
Washington College, in Chcstertown, and Avas bred a merchant, which busi- 
ness he followed in Georgetown, D. ('. In 181G he was appointed by Prc'S- 
ident ^ladison 8u])crintendent of Tmlian affairs; in 1824 he was a]ipointed 
to ])rcside over the Bureau of Indian Affairs, tiien for the first time organ- 
ized in connection with the War Dejiartmcnt ; and in 182G he was appointed 
a special commissioner with Lewis Cass to negotiate an ini])ortant treaty 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 4G7 

■w'itli tlieChippcwny Indians at Fond du Lac, in tlie Territory of Michiiran. 
In 1827 lie ])uhlisiicd a "Tour to tlic Lake!?," with illustrations, 'u\ wiiich 
are many f,a-aphic sketehcs of JMicliiiran life and scenery ; and lie also oiiir- 
inated and published in conjunction with James Hall, " Ilistory of the 
Indian Tribes," a very splendid work, in three folio volumes, and illusti-ated 
with one hundred and twenty colored Indian portraits. He also published 
in 184G two atlditional volumes, " jNIcmoirs, Ofiicial and Personal, with 
Sketches of Travel among the Northern and Southern Indians." He was at 
one time a Colonel in the militia, or regular army, and that was the title ])y 
which he was generally known. In his manners and accomplishments lie 
was a gentleman of the Old School ; and his personal appearance was so 
imposing that the famous artist, Charles Loring Elliott, requested him to sit 
for his picture, when was produced one of the most superb portraits ever 
painted in this country, and which is now in the posscssi(m of James C. 
McGuire, of Washington. Colonel McKcnncy died in New York City Feb- 
ruary 19th, 1859. in 1823 an eflbit Avas made by interested parties to 
injure his fair fame; and a speech pr defence that he made before a com- 
mittee of Congress greatly increased his reputation for ability; and that his 
enemies were unsuccessful was proven by his continuance in the public ser- 
vice iu a higher sphere than that he had previously occupied. 



McKexzik, Alexander. This man was a native of Inverness in 

Scotland ; spent the greater part of his life as a fur-trader in the wilds of 
Canada; and iu ISOl he published, in L)ndou, an extensive work entitled 
"Voyages from ^Montreal, on the River St. Lawrence through tiic Continent 
of x\merica, to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans, iu the years 17S9 and 1793." 
For his services as an explorer, and for discovering the great river which 
bears his name, he received a title from his Goverunieut; but with all the 
honors showered upon his head, he did not scruple, on one occasion, to visit 
Detroit, dressed and painted like a common savage, for the purpose of insti- 
gating the neutral Indians to become the allies of his Government, and the 
enemies of the American Republic. He played the i)art of a savage so 
well, that ho partially succeeded iu his trickery; and he died as Sir Alex- 
ander ^McKenzie in 1^20. 



j\IcKxif;iiT, SiiELPON. He was the founder of the Detroit Fire Prc^s 

in 1>^29, which soon became, and has ever continued, to be the leading organ 
of the Democratic party in the State of Michigan. He was at one time 
Postnuister of Detroit for several years ; repilted a man of ability ; and 
prior to his death, was engaged in the Lake Superior shiiiping interest, and 
constructed the nuirinc railway at the Saute de Ste. ]\Iarie, over which the 
first vessels that ever navigated Lake Superior were transported. Died at 
Washiugtou, D. C, in July, 1S60. 



^IcLean, John. — —As his judicial powers extended over the State of 
^lichigau, from the time it was admitted into the Uui(jn until his death, 
it is entirely proper that his services should be recorded in this volume. 
He was born iu ^Morris County, New Jersey, in 178o. Four years after 
his birth his father emigrated with his family to Virginia, whence lie re- 



4G8 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

moved to Kentucky, and finally settled in the State of Ohio. Here the 
son received a scanty cducatic n ; and, having determined to pursue the 
legal proicssicn, he engaged at the age of eighteen to Avrite in the Clerk's 
ofiice at Cincinnati, in (.rder to maintain himself, by devoting a portion of 
his time to that labor, while engaged in his studies. lu 1807 he was admit- 
ted to the bar, and entered upon the practice of the law at Lebanon, Ohio. 
In 1812 he became a candidate to repnsent his district in Congress, and 
was elected by a large majority. He professed the political principles of 
the Democratic party, being an ardent supporter of the war, and of Presi- 
dent Madison's administration. In 1814 he Avas again elected to Congress 
by a unanimous vote — a circumstance of rare occurrence — and remained 
a member of the House of Representatives until 1816, when, the Legisla- 
ture of Ohio having elected him a Judge of the Supreme Court of the State, 
he resigned his seat in Congress at the close of the session. He remained 
six years upon the Supreme Bench of Ohio. In 1822 he Avas appointed 
Commissioner of the General Land Office by President Monroe ; and ia 
1823 he became Postmaster-General. In the year 1^29 he was appointed 
by President Jackson, a Justice of the United States Supreme Court, after 
he had refused the ofl'er of the "War and Navy Departments. He entered 
upon the discharge of his judicial duties at the January term of 1830, and 
died in Cincinnati, April 4, 1861. 



Miller, Dan B. He was a native of New York, and among the 

earliest emigrants to the Territory of ]\Iichigan, and settled in ^lonroe in 
1823. As a merchant and a devoted friend of the Protestant E[)iscopal 
Church, he exercised an important inlluence f )r many years in the village 
and city of Monroe, where he held the ofiice of lleceiver of Public Moneys 
for the General Land Office for several years, and where he died in 1850, 
lamented by a large circle of devoted friends. He left two sons, Van 
Home and Sidney, the first a resident of Monroe, and the second a lawyer 
ai Detroit. 



MiXTY, Robert II. G. He Avas born in Mayo, Ireland, December 4, 

1831 ; entered the British army in 1>^49 as an Ensign ; served five years in 
the West Indies, Honduras, and on the coast of Africa ; in 18-13 he retired 
from the English service and came to America. AVhen the rebellion com- 
menced he was a citizen of jNIichigan ; joined the Third Cavalry as IMajor, 
at Grand Rapids, in 1861, and soon became Lieutenant-Colonel; he next 
became Colonel of the Fourth Cavalry, and afterwards comtuanded a brig- 
ade; and, as will be seen in the preceding pages, acquited himself with 
great ability (m many battle-fields. The fact tliat it was his regiment which 
captured Jefferson Davis, will long be remembered by the people of JNIichi- 
gan, but that exploit Avas only one, of very many, that the regiment per- 
formed iu its long and arduous career. 



^IiZNER, Jonx K. He Avas born in New York, but appointed from 

Michigan to tiie West Point Academy, Avhere he graduated in l>i56. His 
first service was rendered at Carlisle, Pennsylvania; in 1^57 he Avas assigned 
to the Second Dragoons as Second Lieutenant; and was on duty in Kansas 



BIOGRAPHICAL IlISTOUY OF MICHIGAN'. 409 

and the neighboring frontiers. In 1801 he was appointed a Captain in the 
Second Cavalry; in 1862 was made Coh)nel of the Third Cavalry of Mich- 
igan; was made jMajor in l'^G2 lor services at (he battle of Corinth ; and 
in 1SG3 Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel, ior heroic conduct at Panola, ]Missis- 
sippi. In 1865 he was appointed a Brigadier-General by brevet of volun- 
teers, for his meritorious services during the rebellion. In 1866 he was 
mustered out of the volunteer service; and was subsequently assigned to 
duty on the frontiers and in Nebraska, according to his Rank in the Kegular 
Army. 



;^^o^RELL, nKOROE. He was born in Lenox, JIassachusetts, in ll^Q; 

graduated at AVilliams' College; was a United States Judge for the Terri- 
tory of Michigan ; subse(iuently an Associate Justice, and in 1842 Chief 
Justice of the Supreme Court of the State ; and died iu Detroit in March, 
1845. 



MosELEY, Jonathan Ogden. Born at East Haddom, I\Iiddlesex 

County, Connecticut ; was a graduate of Yale College in 17>'0 ; and a liep- 
resentative in Congress, from his native State, from 1805 to 1821. lie sub- 
sequently removed to Michigan, with which he became identified in all 
his family and business interests, and died at Saginaw, in that State, Sep- 
tember 9, 1839, aged seventy -seven years. 



MuNDY, Edward. He was among the earlier emigrants to the Terri- 
tory of ^lichigan, and a lawyer by profession. lie was the first Lieutenant- 
Governor of the State under the first State Constitution in 1835 and 1836, 
and again held the same office from 1837 to 1840; in 1847 he was chosen 
Attorney-General, which office he only held until 1848, when he was made 
an Associate Justice on the Su[)reme Bench ; and from 1844 until l'^48 he 
was Regent, by appointment, of the State University. He died in Detroit 
iu 1851. 



Navarre, Peter. He was the grand-son of Robert Navarre, a French 

officer who came to America iu 1745 and settled at Detroit, where he was 
born in 1790. In 1807 the whole family removed to the mouth of the 
]\Iaumee. At that time, the widow of Pontiac was living there with her 
son Olti-<m. She was very old, and held in great reverence. Navarre was 
at the Prophet's town on the Wabash with a French trader, when Geneial 
Harrison arrived there, just before the battle of Tippecanoe, but escaped. 
He joined Hull's army at the Maumee Rapids, was with him at Detroit, 
and after the surrender, returned to the Raisin and enlisted in Colonel An- 
derson's regiment. He was there when lirock was ordered to surrender, 
but was afterwards compelled to go with the British as a guide up the 
Maumee, where he deserted and joined Winchester's army. He was an eve 
witness of the massacre at the River Raisin. After that he and two brothers, 
Francois an<l Antoine, were employed as scouts, and performed excellent 
service, he, himself, having been one of the most trusty of Harri.son's guides 
and scouts. The brothers were f )r many years among the must respectable 



470 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

inhabitants living in the valley of the River Raisin. As late as 1^67 the 
subject of this notice was still living on the Maumee, in the enjoyment of 
a peaceful old age. 



Newbury, Oliver. He was a native of Connecticut, as we have 

been informed, and emigrated to ]\Iichigan about the year ISIG, locating in 
Detnjit, where he was for many years a successful merchant. But it was as 
a builder of steamboats that he was chiefly known, and it was on account 
of the splendor of his vessels and the number of lines that he established, 
extending throughout the length of all the Great Lakes, that he became 
populai-ly known as " the steamboat king." He was a plain man in his 
life and manners, and his business sagacity and abilities Vv'ere of the high- 
est order. He was a man of indomitable enterprise, and far-seeing in his 
business calculations. It was said of him that for many years he cari-ied 
all his business papers in his hat, and was i-arely seen uncovered. He was 
never married, and was the brother of Walter Newbury, long a prominent 
citizen of Chicago; and he died many years ago in Detroit, leaving a name 
that was universally respected throughout the State. 



Noble, Charles. He was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and 

emigrated to the Territory of Michigan in 1818, locating at Frenchtown, on 
the River Raisin. Having received a liberal education, he adopted the 
profession of law, and was for nearly half a century one of the most influ- 
ential citizens in that part of the country, Avhere he held a great number of 
public positions of a local character. In 1824 he was appointed Prosecu- 
ting Attorney, and held the office several years ; was also Postmaster of 
Monroe, a County Judge, Register of Probate, and Fund Commissioner for 
the .State. In 1^25 and '26 he was a member of the Legislative Council; 
Avas largely interested in the IMichigan Southern Railroad, one of its pro- 
jectors, and at one time President of the Company. In 1S50 he received 
from President Taylor the appointment of Surveyor of the Territ(^ry north- 
west of the Ohio, holding the position until the close of President Fillmore's 
term. Most of the country about tlie Upper Lakes, including the copper 
and iron regions, Avere surveyed and brouglit into market under his admin- 
istration of the office, besides much of the Lower Peninsula; it was during 
that time, also, that the solar compass was brought into general use, and 
adopted by the Government. To speak in general terms, he was always 
deeply interested in the settlement, growth, and prosperity of IMichigan ; in 
its schools and other institutions of learuing, and in tlie moral and religious 
character of its people; and as a leading man on the River Raisin, he took 
an active part in all the canals and roads, and in every enterprise connected 
Avith thcAvell being and prosperity of Monroe and the State generally. He 
Avas foHowed to the West by a number of brothers, all of Avhom were hon- 
oral)iy identified with the State of IMichigan as legislators or business men. 
In tliis connection Ave may remark that the early Anglo-Saxon settlers of 
IMichigan, who congregated on the River Raisin, as a body of men were 
uncommonly intelligent and cultivated, and exceedingly enterprising. 
However much they might differ, practically or otherwise, on general sub- 
jects, they were always alive to the interests of Monroe, and in that [)artic- 
ular always acted as a unit, and lost no i)olitical or other influence to which 



BTOGRAPIIICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 471 

perfect unanimity of thought and action would entitle them. They pos- 
sessed a commanding influence in the Legislature, and all over the State, 
and lor many years went by the suuhriquet of the "^Independent State of 
Monroe." 



KoBLE, David A. He was born in IMassachnsotts ; liberally educa- 
ted ; ad«)[)te(l the profession of law; and on removing to Micliigan was 
elected a Kepresentative in Gmgross from that State from 1.S5.'] to 1^55. 
Has always been a successful practitioner at the bar. He is the brother of 
Charles Noble, mentioned in the preceding notice. 



Noble, Louis Legraxd. Ho w:is l)oi-n in Orsego County, New York, 

in 1S12; in 1824 he removed with his parents to the Territory of JMichigan, 
who located themselves on the Ilivcr Hui'on, where Ids jioetical sensibilities 
were stinuilated by the beauty of thescenery with which he was surrounded. 
He was educated chiefly at the General Theological Seminary, in New 
York, and in 1840 was ordained a minister of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church. The several parislies over which he has ]n-esided were, first, in 
Elizabeth City, North Carolina; second, Catskill, New York ; third, Chi- 
cago, Illinois ; and lastly, in Hudson City, New Jersey. He published an 
Indian poem entitled Ne-mah-mbi about the year 1842, the scenes of which 
are laid in IMichigan ; in 1><57 he puldished a volume of miscellaneous 
poems ; and his best productions are TJie Cripple Boji, A Ballad of the 
Oitaivas, and Lines to a Fhjing Swan in the Vale of the Huron, all of which 
are associated with the State in which he spent his boyhood. He is also 
the author of the Life of Thomas Cole, the famous landscape painter, and 
also of a delightful volume entitled "After Icebergs ivith a Fainter," which 
commemorates a voyage that he made to Labrador with another famous 
landscape painter, Frederick E. (.'hurch. !Mr. Noble's attachment to jMich- 
igan is so stnmg that he frecpiently visits tiie State, where mend)ers of his 
family still continue to reside. That he is a true i)oet, and fully appreci- 
ates the grandeul- and beauty of the forests of Michigan, may be readily 
Been by the fidlowiug extract from the "Groves of the Uivcr Huron :" 

" 0, I am glad yon still are hand in liand 
In the grand round of solitude ! I joy 
That* yet in your magnificence ye move 
With the rich summer garhmded ; and feel 
Yc bear for me a welcome on your brows. 
For I have loved you from a very boy 
With a most tender and unfailing love ; 
Nay, of 3'our beauty spoken with a zeal 
That has begotten many a wish to come 
And kindle cottage tires beneath your green. 
And here I own that I have never gone 
Beyond the reach of your broad shadows; never 
Beyond the music of your rustling ; never 
Beyond the music of your dropiiiiig dews. 
Your image has pursued me to the waves, 
Fleecing the rocks with whiteness ; to the clouds, 
Fleecin-; the mountain summits witii their snow, 
I own it here, you have possess'd me so, 
So cooled and shaded me in feverish dreams, 
So haunted me, and with my feelings wrought, 



472 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

In gardens, city parks, and walks embowered, 
That I no less could do than seek once more 
Your presence and your blessing. 1 am here, 
Thou Gothic forest, to be young again. 
A benison, ye venerable forms, 
shed upon me from your outspread hands ! 
bless me with my boyhood 1 Be to me 
All that ye were I " 



NoRVELL, John. He was bred a printer ; was for a time the editor 

of a newspaper in Philadelphia ; was appointed by President Jackson Post- 
master of Detroit ; and having become identified with the Territory of 
Michigan, became one of the Senators in Congress from the new State, liav- 
ing served in that capacity from its admission into the Union until 1841. 
He was also for several years Attorney for the State, in which position he 
acquitted himself with ability ; and in 1837 was a])poiuted a Regent of the 
State University. He died of apoplexy in April, 1850. 



Olney, Edward. He was born in Moreau, Saratoga County, New 

York, July 24, 1S27 ; when six years of age he removed with his lather to 
Michigan, who soon afterwards settled in Ohio as a farmer. He received 
a common school education, under many disadvantages; for several years, 
before becoming of age, he studied Latin, and was engaged in teaching ; 
he next devoted his attention to the study of Greek and French, and had 
charge of the Perrysburg Union School ; in 1853 he received from INIadi- 
son University, in New York, the degree of A. j\I., and shortly afterward 
removed to Kalamazoo, in Michigan, and was nutdc Professor of Mathe- 
matics in the Literary Institute of that i)lace ; taught for ten years in the 
Kalamazoo College, and for a time edited the Michigan Christian Herald ; 
and in 18G3 he received, without personal knowledge or solicitation, the 
appointment of Professor of Mathematics in the University of Michigan. 
He is the author of a Mathematical Series, the first of which has been pub- 
lished and pronounced eminently successful. 



Palmer, A. B. He was born in Richfield, Otsego County, New York, 

October 6, 1815, and was the son of Benjamin Palmer, a worthy i'armer, 
who was made blind by an accident f »ur years before the birth of his son. 
He received an academical education, attended lectures at the Fairfield 
Medical College, and graduated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons 
of Western New York ; in IVdi he removed to Michigan and settled iu 
Tecumseh, where he practiced his profession f)r twelve years; between the 
years 1847 and 1H50 he attended the Hospitals of New York and Phila- 
delphia; in the latter year he removed to Chicago, where he remained 
seven years, daring which period, iu 1851, however, he delivered a course 
of Medical Lectures in the University of Michigan, and in which he has 
been a Professor of two important departments down to the present time. 
From 1852 to 1859 he was the Editor of the Peninsula "Journal of Medi- 
cine" and " Independent Medical Journal;' in 1859 he visited Europe; and 
when the rebellion commenced iu 1861 hevolunteered his services and was 
appointed a Surgeon in the army, and in that capacity, when his duties as 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 473 

a Professor would allow, served during the whole w^ar. In 1864 he was ap- 
pointed a Professor in the Berkshire oMedical College, INIassachusetts, and 
subsequently to a siniihir position in the ^Medical School of !Maine, associ- 
ated with Bow(h)iu College ; has been a prominent member and Vice Presi- 
deut of the American Medical Association ; and his long connection with 
the University of IMichigan is the best proof that iiis services have been 
highly valued. During his residence in Chicago he had much to do with 
the cholera, and published a pamphlet upon the subject, which went through 
several editions and was highly commended ; and lie has, besides his many 
lectures, written a number of reports on questious connected with his pro- 
fession. 



Parkman, Francis. As this distinguished author has done much to 

illustrate the history of ]\Iichigau by his writings, we nuist claim the \m\-i- 
Icge of inserting his name in the present record. lie was born in Boston, 
Septcnd)er 1(5, l'^23, and resides in that city. Soon after leaving Harvard 
College, about twenty-five years ago, he conceived the idea of writing the 
history of France and England in North America. The deternnned man- 
ner in wiiich he began his work inspired commendation at the time, and his 
subsequent success may well be considered a satisfactory reward. lie made 
summer tours into the wilds of Canada and' the region of the Great Lakes; 
east a thought upon the legal profession, but gave it the cold shoiililer ; vis- 
ited luirope, and then made a ])ilgrimage over the prairies and among the 
mountains westward of the ]Mississippi river, and gave the ])ublic a charm- 
ing book of personal adventures. This last frolic over, he then entered 
upon the chosen business of his life with decided earnestness. lie threw 
aside the "sandal shoon," and, taking up his pen, began to explore the pub- 
lished and uii[)ublished records bearing upon his subject, and was so per- 
severing in his labors as seriously to im])air his health. Indeed, he was 
Avell nigh losing his sight altogether, and for several proti'acted perit»ds was 
compelled to suspend his labors. But he continued the battle, revisited 
Europe, delved into the archives of France, and may to-day be congratu- 
lated on having accomplished much the largest proportion of his self- 
assigned task, by the publication of four volumes. The first issued of these 
productions was the " History of the Conspiracy of Pontiac," and while it 
may be read and enjoyed as a separate work, will hereafter be considered 
as a kind of sequel to the fellow volumes. Of these, three have already 
been published, viz: the "Pioneers of France in the New World," the 
" Jesuits in North xVmerica in the Seventeenth Century," and the "Dis- 
covery of the Great West;" and the idea of the author, which includes the 
achievements of both France and England on this continent, will not be 
completed until the publication of several additional volumes. 



Parsoxs, Axdrew. He was born in Hoosaac, Renssalear County, 

New York, July 2"J, 1817 ; brought upon a farm in Oswego County ; re- 
ceived a common school education, and became a teacher in his sixteenth 
year; removed to Michigan iu 18:5.1 aiid became a teacher in Ann Arbor; 
was County Clerk of Sliiawasse C )unty from 183t) to 1838 ; was subse- 
quently County Register for eight years, and also a Prosecuting Attorney ; 
was elected to the State Senate in 1846 ; was for a time a Regent of the 
University of Michigau, by election, fx-om 1852 to 1S54; was elected Lieu- 
2 D * 



474 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

tentant-Governor of the State in 1852, and on the resignation of Hobert 
McClflhin in 1853 he became the Acting Governor, which office he held 
until 1S54. He was next elected to the Legislature, but returning home 
at the end of the first session in very feeble health, he died in June of that 
year, lamented by many friends. 



Peck, George W. He was born in New York about the year lf^l8 ; 

remove(l to Michigan, and was a member of the Legislature of that State 
in 1846 and 1847, serving as Speaker during the latter year; was after- 
wards chosen Secretary of State ; and was a Representative in Congress 
from Michigan, from 1855 to 1857. 



Penniman, Ebenezer Jenckes. He was born in Lansingburgh, New 

York ; when thirteen years of age was apprenticed to the business of print- 
ing, in the office of the "New Hampshire Sentinel," at Keene; when eigh- 
teen years of age he purchased his indentures, and entered upon mercantile 
pursuits in the City of New York ; removed to Michigan in 1835, and 
was elected a Kepresentative from that State to the Thirty-Second Con- 
gress. 

Perrault, John Baptiste. He was born in Lower Canada, 1759, 

and belonged to one of the oldest families in Quebec. After receiving a 
collegiate education in that city, he visited Montreal on business for his 
father, when he was smitten with a love of wild life, and in 1783 became a 
bourgeois. He v»'ent to what was then the metropolis of the Indian trade, 
Michilimackiuac, and after some primary trips to the Illinois, he chose the 
Lake country as the theatre of his life and adventures, and there passed 
nearly sixty years. He died at Saute de Ste. Marie on the I'ith Novem- 
ber, 1844 ; and a sketch of his career was published by Henry K. School- 
craft in 1853. 



Perry, Oliver Hazard. As this man, during his brief but splen- 
did career in the AVest, did as much as any other to secure the people of 
Michigan in their civil and political rights, it would not be proper to omit 
his name in this place. He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1785; 
entered the Navy as a IMidsliipman in 1798; served in the Tripolitan war; 
was made a INIaster-cominandant in 1812, and in the following year he was 
appointed to the command of tlie squadron on Lake Erie, where, as already 
related in this volume, he triumphed over the British and restored peace to 
the people of Michigan, and won imperishable renown. For this service 
he was promoted to the rank of Captain, received the thanks of Congress 
and of the State of Pennsylvania. After the war he sailed tothe jNIediter- 
anean under Decatur ; was subserjuently on duty in the West Indies, and 
in August, 1820, he was attacked with the yellow fever, which in a few 
days closed his bright career of honor at the age of thirty-live. 



Pierce, John D. He was born in New PIam])shire, February IS, 

1797 ; brought up in Massachusetts, were he remained until his twentieth 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 475 

year; and was educated at Brown University in Ehode Island, with 
money saved chiefly from presents and his own earnings. After graduating 
with honors in 1^22, he became Principal of an Academy in New England, 
and at the end of a year entered tlic Seminary at Princeton, where he 
studied theology for one year. In 1824 he settled in Oneida County as 
Pastor of a Congregational Church, where he renuiined until 1830; spent 
another year in New England as Principal of Goshen Academy in Connect- 
icut, and took up his residence in IMichigan in 1831. In 1847 he was elect- 
ed to the State Legislature; re-elected in 1848; and was a mend)er of the 
State Constitutional Convention of 1^50. AViiile in the Legislature he 
secured the passage of bills for Homestead Exemptions, and for the Pro- 
tection of Women in their Rights of Property, which were the first of tluit 
character passed in any of the States. Of Lectures and Addresses on Ed- 
ucational, Theological, and Historical subjects, he has published a goodly 
number; and during the two years that he was Superintendent of Public 
Instruction, he edited and published the Journal of Education. Pie also 
edited at one time the Democratic Expounder, at Marshall. By general con- 
sent the creilit has been awarded to him of hiiving been the author of the 
IMichigan Free School System, and he will long be remembered by the chil- 
dren and youth of the State, as one who had wisely and earnestly labored 
to promote their welfare. As a preacher he has accomplished much good 
in various parts of the State ; his last public position was that of Superin- 
tenilent of Public Schools in Washtenaw County; and he is a resident of 
Ypsilanti. 



PiTcnER, ZiNi. He was born in Washington County, New York, April 

12, 1797 ; received a common-school and academical education ; at the age 
of twenty he begaji the study of medicine in Vermont, and in 1822 received 
the degree of M. D. from Middlebury College ; and shortly afterwards he 
was appointed by President Monroe Assistant Surgeon in the United States 
Army, and promoted to full Surgecm by President Jackson, in which posi- 
tion iie continued until 183G, when he became a permanent citizen of ^lich- 
igan. While in the army he saw much service in the far Southwest, the 
South, and the Southeast, as well as in the country of the Great Lakes. In 
1835 he became the President of the Army Medical Board ; from 1837 to 
1852 he was a Regent of the University of Michigan ; took an active part 
in the organization of its Medical Department, and was made Profes.sor of 
the l']meritus chair of that institution; in 1839 he was appointed a visitor 
to West Point; in 1840, '41, and '43, he was Mayor of the City of Detroit; 
and from 1848 to 18G7 lie was the physician and surgeon to St. JMary's IIos- 
pitol in Detroit, and also of the United States Marine Hospital. During 
all these years he did not neglect his engagements as a private practitioner, 
but found time to prepare various professional and literary papers ibr pub- 
lication, and to attemi the annual meetings, at least nine of them, of the 
American Medical Association, and was President of the meeting held in 
Detroit. He was also elected an honorary member of the New York and 
Rhode Island Medical Societies, corresponding member of the Phihulel|)hia 
Academy of Natural Science, of the New York Lyceum of Natural His- 
tory, also of the New York and Minnesota Historical Societies, and a Trus- 
tee of the ^Michigan State Asyluiu. He is still living in Detroit, with the 
growth and pros]ierity of which he has now been honorably identified foi 
nK)re than a third of a century. 



476 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Phelps, William W. He was born in Oakland County, Michigan, 

June 1, 1S26 ; he graduated at the University of Michigan in 1846 ; stud- 
ied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1S4S; and edited a Democratic 
newspaper in Oakland County, from 1851 to 1855. In 1852 and 1853 he 
held the office of Commissioner for his native County, performing the duties 
of Judge at Chambers ; in 1S54 was appointed, by President Pierce, Reg- 
ister of the United States Land Office at Red Wing, in Minnesota; and in 
1^57 he was elected a Representative to the Thirty-fifth Congress, from that 
State, and was a member of the Committee on Mileage. In 1^60 he assum- 
ed the editorship of the "Red Wing Sentinel." 



PoNTiAC. He was born in the year 1720 on the Ottawa river, but 

early settled near Michilimackinac, and was an ally of the French in the 
Northwest. He made his appearance as an historical character by stoj)piug 
Robert Rogers on his way to Detroit. He was the head chief of the Otta- 
wa nation, but he held a kind of despotic sway over the OJibway and Pot- 
tawattoraie nations, the whole of whom had their camps on the soil of ^lich- 
igan. As his principal deeds are chronicled in the first part of this work, 
and as Francis Parkman has made him the subject of an admirable vol- 
ume, our allusions to him will be brief His intellect was strong and capa- 
cious ; he possessed a commanding energy, and was as crafty as any of his 
race; and though capable of acts of magnaminity, he was a thorough sav- 
age, treacherous and cruel. His faults, however, were those of his race; 
and they cannot eclipse liis nobler qualities, the great powers and heroic 
virtues of his mind. He was the first Indian who ever issued such things 
as promissory notes, which were written upon birch bark, signed with tlie 
figure of an otter, which was his totum, and all of which notes he faithfully 
redeemed. From the year 17G0, when ho first met Robert Rogers on the 
shores of Lake Erie, until he left the Lake country in 1769, he exerted an 
influence and performed deeds of barbaric heroism which have seldom been 
equalled ; and it was in the latter year, when he was on a visit to St. Louis, 
that he was murdered in cold blood near that town, by a savage enemy of 
the Illinois tribe, who had been bribed for that purpose by a not less sav- 
age English trader named AVilliamson. Over the grave of Poutiac, says 
Parkman, more blood was poured out in atonement, than flowed from the 
hecatombs of slaughtered heroes on the corpse of Patroclus ; and the rem- 
nant of the Illinois who survived the carnage remained for ever after sunk 
in utter insignificance. 



Porter, Augustus S. Born in Canandaigua, New York, January 

18, 1798 ; graduated at Union College in 181S ; studied law as a profes- 
sion, and practiced for twenty years in Detroit, Michigan, of whic'.i city he 
was chosen INIayor in 1838. lie was a Senator in Congress from Michigan 
from 1840 to 1845 ; and in 184-* he removed to Niagara Falls, the residence 
of his father, where he has since lived in retirement. He was also a Dele- 
gate to the Philadelphia " National Union Convention " of 1860. 



Porter, George B. He was a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania ; 

received a liberal education, and adopted the profession of law ; was an 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 477 

active and thorough business man ; served as Governor of the Territory of 
]\Iichiiran from 1831 to 1834, and died in the latter year, leaving behind 
hiiu troop.s of friends and u l)right reputation. 



Proctor, Hexry A. lie was born in "Wales in 17^7, and entered 

tlie British army when quite young. On the breaking out of the war of 
1812, he was dispatched to Amherstburg by General Brock to prevent the 
landing of General Hull, Avhom lie defeated at that place and at Browns- 
town. He was the man whom the Americans charged with sanctioning the 
massacre on the Bivcr Baisin in 1813, after the deieat of (Jeneral Winches- 
ter, and for which conduct he was made a Brigadier-General by his Gov- 
ernment. For his subsequent conduct at the battle of the Thames, he was 
court-martialed, and suspended from rank and pay for six months. lie 
commanded again during the war ; was promoted to the rank of Lieuten- 
aut-General ; and died at his seat in Wales in 1859. 



Ransom, Epapiiropitus. lie was born in ^lassachnsetts ; received a 

collegiate education; and having studied law, was admitted to the bar in 
his native State. He removed to Michigan about the time that it becnme a 
State, and settled at Kalamazoo; he served a number of years in tlie Legis- 
lature; was Judge of the Supreme Court, where his field of labor was very 
extensive; and subsequently, taking a special interest in the building of 
plank roads in his section of country, he became involved, and in that man- 
ner lost the bidk of his property. He resigned his Judgeship in 1845; and 
his term ol" service as Governor of the Slate was from 1847 to 1849 ; and 
he afterwards made himself useful to the State by acting as President of 
the ^Michigan Agricultural Society. By President Buchanan he was ap- 
pointed Receiver of the Land Office f)r one of the districts of Kansas, and 
died there before the expiration of his term. He was a man of sound sense, 
and left a worthy reputation in Michigan. He was on several occasions 
appointed a regent of the State University. 



Reynolds. Robert. -He was born in Detroit about the year 1788; 

was Deputy Assistant Commissary General in the British army in the war 
of 1812, and was at the taking of Detroit. He also ])articipated in the 
battle of the Thames; was subsequently stationed at Burlington Heights, 
on Lake Ontario ; and then took up his residence near Ainherstl)urg, on 
the Detroit River. He knew both Proctor and Tecumseh well, and never 
scrupled to denounce the conduct of the firmer while on the IMichigan 
frontier, as shameful, and fully justifying the condemnation of the noted 
Indian warrior. 



Rice, Henry M. He was born in Vermont November 29, 1816 ; and 

having emigrated to Michigan when it was a Territory, was a resident of 
Kalamazoo during the greater part of his early manhood. Much of his 
life was spent among the Indian tribes of the North-western States; in 1840 



478 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

lie was appointed a Sutler in the army ; v,as employed as a commissioner 
in making many Indian treaties of great importance; in 1853 he was elec- 
ted a Delegate to Congress from j\linnesota ; re-elected in 1855, and was 
active in securing the passage of the act authorizing the people of Minne- 
sota to form a State constitution ; and in 1857, he Avas elected a Senator in 
Congress for the term of six years, serving on the Committees on Indian 
AfTairs and Post Oflices and Post Poads. lie was also a Delegate to the 
Philadelphia National Union Convention of 18GG, since which time he has 
been devoted to his private affairs. 



EiCE, R. N. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, IMay 30, 1814 ; 

received a Public School education, and engaged in mercantile pursuits in 
Concord of that State, where he remained until 1S44. In that year he en- 
gaged in the service of the Fitchburg Railroad Company, where he remain- 
ed until 1846 ; w-hcn he removed to JMichigan and became Disbursing Offi* 
cer of the Michigan Central Railroad, and after occupying that position 
for two years, he became Master of Transportation, or what is now styled 
Assistant General Superintendent; and in 1855 he was appointed the 
General Superintendent, in which position he continued until 1867, when 
he resigned. It would thus appear that IMr. Rice was connected, in a 
prominent manner, with the vital business interests of Michigan for about 
twenty years. The gross receipts of the Michigan Central for one month 
in lf^46, when he joined the company, amounted to $14,000 on 143 miles; 
while the receipts for the corresponding month in 1867, when be left the 
company, amounted to $300,000 on 269 miles, and the earnings of some of the 
fall months of the same year, amounted to nearly half a million of dollars. 
According to Henry M. Flint, in his Illstori/ of Railroads, the admirable 
and successful management of the JMichigan Central Railroad, is due, in a 
great measure, to the personal exertions and experience of its late General 
Superintendent. 



Richard, Gabetel. He was ])orn at Saintes, France, October 15, 

1764; was educated at Anglers ; received orders as a Priest at Paris in 1791; 
was made Vicar-General of the order of Sulpitians ; came to America in 
1 792 ; was for a time Professor of Mathamatics in St. JMary's College, IMary- 
land ; subsequently kibored as a Missionary in Illinois, and settled at De- 
troit in 1798. In 1809 lie visited Boston, and took a printing press to De- 
troit, where he started a Journal called tl)e Michigan Essay, which was not 
successful ; he then published several Roman Catholic books and the Laws 
of the Territory, all in French ; in 1^U2 he was taken prisoner by the lirit- 
ish, and, after his release, finding his people destitute, i)urchase(l wheat at 
his own expense and distributed freely among them. During his ministry 
it became his duty, according to the rules of the Church, to excomnumi- 
catc one of his parishioners who had been divorced from his wife. The un- 
happy husband ])rosecuted him for defamation of character, and obtained 
a verdict of one thousand dollars. This money the Priest could not jjay, 
and he was consequcully imprisoned in the common jail; but just before 
this event in 1^23, he had been elected a delegate to Washington, and he 
went directly from his prison to the floor of Congress, He wrote several 
languages, and was a man of superior ability and rare benevolence; and 
died iu Detroit, September 13, 1832, universally lamented. 



BIOGRAPniCAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 479 

EicnAiiDSON, Israel B. lie was l)orn in FairHix, Vermont, in 1819; 

appointed from ]\Iicliigan to Uie West Point Academy, where he graduate(l 
in 1841 ; as a Lieutenant was on duty in Florida, Missouri, and Louisiana; 
served in the war with JMexico, and was witli General Taylor at the battles 
of Palo Alto and Itcsaea; witli General Beott at Vera Cruz, Puelda, and 
Molino del Hey; in 1851 he was promoted to the rank of Captain, ami as- 
signed to duty in JMexico and Texas; and in lS.j.3 he resigned his commis- 
sion in the army, and settled as a farmer in Pontiac, JMiehigan. On (he 
breaking out of the rebellion, he took an active interest in military affairs; 
organized, and took to the field as Commander the Second Infantry of ]\Iichi- 
gan ; was soon translerred to the; commanrl of a Brigade; served with dis- 
tinction in the Virginia-Peninsula Campaign, and was made a Brigadier, 
and soon afterwards a JNIajor-General of Volunteers ; and having been 
wounded at the battle of Antietam, JNIaryland, died from his Avounds at 
Sharpsburg, November 3, 1862. He was a brave and able officer, and his 
loss was deeply lamented by the army. 



EoBEKTS, E. J. Tie was born in New York and bred a printer; after 

publishing and conducting a paper at Rochester for some years, he removed 
to INIichigan, and was long associated with the newspaper press of Detroit; 
he was a Delegate to the Constitutional Cdnvention of 1850; subsequently 
settled in the Lake Superior Region, where he carried on an extensive busi- 
ness ; served a number of years in the State Legislature ; and after a long, 
useful, and honorable life, died many years ago. 



RoBEHTS, Robert E. He settled in Detroit as early as 1827, and has 

been intimately identified with the progress of that city down to the present 
time. In 1855, for the gratification of his old friends, he published a small 
volume entitled "Sketches of the City of Detroit," which abounds in origi- 
nal information gathered from his long experience. Possessing a taste for 
letters and the arts, he has long been foremost among those who take pleas- 
ure in fostering the public taste. When the water-works of Detroit were 
projected, he took a special interest in the important enterprise, was made 
Secretary of the Board which had them in charge, and has ever since de- 
voted himself to bringing them to their present perfection. 



Robertson, John. He was born in Banffshire, Scotland, January 2, 

1814, and educated at one of the best schools in that secti(jn of country. 
He preferred a military profession, and desired to enter the British army, 
but was opposed in this by his uncle, the late Sir John Forbes, of Lond(jn, 
through whose iniluencc he expected to obtain a commission. In place 
of a position in the armv, his uncle secured for him an appointment in the 
General Post Office in Edinburgh, and iu 1829 he entered that Office. Dis- 
appointed at not getting into the army, and disliking the confinement of 
that oflice, he left it in 1833. Making up his mind fidly for a military life, 
he concluded to immigrate to the United States and enter the army. Arri- 
ving at Montreal, he started on foot for the nearest American rendezvous, 
which he reached at Burlington, Vermont, where, on the-2d of July, 1833, 



480 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

he entered as a private in the United States Army. In the spring of 1834 
he Avas sent to the 5th United States Infantry, stationed at Fort Howard, 
Green Bay, then in Wisconsin Territory. Soon after joining the regiment 
he was appointed a non-commissioned officer, and served the most part of 
six years as Quartermaster-Sergeant and Sergeant-^Iajor of the regiment. 
After his term of service expired, he was engaged in the Quartermaster 
and Commissary Departments at Prairie du Chien, and went with the regi- 
ment from that post to Detroit in 1840. Soon after arriving at Detroit he 
was emph^yed by Brady & Trowbridge, merchants of that city, and a few 
years afterwards went with one of the partners to Mexico, and engaged in 
mercantile business connected with the United States army, and remained 
there about eighteen months. Returning to Detroit, he rejoined Mr. Trow- 
bridge, and a few years later became his partner, the two doing business as 
commission merchants, under the firm of C. A. Trowbridge & Co. In 
March, 18Gl,he was appointed by Governor Blair, Adjutant-General of the 
State, serving in that capacity throughout the war of the Rebellion, and has 
held the office until the present time. He has been identified with the 
militia and State troops of ]\lichigan for about twenty years, and received 
his first commission as a Lieutenant of Independent State troops from Gov- 
ernor Bingham, in November, 1855. 



Rogers, Randolph. According to a statement already made in 

these pages, this eminent sculptor was born in Michigan, and in eai'ly life 
was a resident of the State; but Henry T. Tuckerman, in his book of 
American artists, gives Virginia as the native State of the sculptor. At 
any rate he is performing a great work, commemorative of the jjatriotism 
of Michigan, and for that reason he must be noticed here. He abandoned 
mercantile pursuits in early lil'e, and turned his attention to sculi)ture. 
After a few years of study in Rome, he returned to this country and made 
his mark by the exhibition of " Nijdla, the Blind Girl of Pompeii," "^4 Boy 
and Dog," and other similar productions. Returning to Rome, he made a 
statue of John Ada7ns, designed bas-reliefs ibr the bronze doors of the new 
Capitol extension in Washington, also a monumental work entitled The 
Angel of the Resurrection, and occupied himself in furnishing the designs for 
the Washington Monument in Richmond, Virginia, which work had been 
commenced by the lamented Crawford. Among his more popular produc- 
tions may be mentioned one entitled Ruth and another called Isaac. In 
1867, and while engaged upon a monumental work for the State of Rhode 
Island, he received an order from the citizens of Michigan for the design 
and building of the elaborate and costly monument already described iu 
this volume, to be erected in Detroit in memory of the heroes who lost their 
lives in defending their country from the assaults of the late Rebellion. 



Rogers, Robert. He was a native of New Hampshire; a sturdy 

and adventurous soldier ; commanded a body of provincial rangers, and 
stood in high repute as a partisan officer, whose chief theatre of action was 
in the region of Lake George; and f)r a time he was Governor of Michili- 
mackinac. To him was entrusted the expedition which was sent out by 
General Amherst, after the surrender of Michigan by France to Euj^land 
in 1759, and his first meeting with Pontiac and subsequent services in the 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 481 

Northwest will be found duly recorded in another part of this volume. 
He subsequently served iu Algiers ; at the opening of the war of Inde- 
pendence he returned to his country, espoused the 15ritish cause and re- 
ceived a Colonel's commission from the Crown ; was proscribed by the act 
of New Hampshire in 1778, and died in obscurity. Besides a work entitled 
"A Concise Account of North America," he published a Journal of his 
Expedition to Detroit, when he took possession of the ports of Michigan; 
and also a drama entitled " Ponteach, or the Savages of America." The 
name of " Roger's Rangers " has passed into history, and a prominent 
mountain on Lake George bears his name to this day. 



RoMEYN, TiiEODORK. He was born in Hackinsack, New Jersey, in 

August, 1810, and is descended from the Knickerbocker stock of that re- 
gion ; educated at Rutger's College; and studied law with Peter D. Vroom 
and Samuel L. Southard in New Jersey, and with Benjamin F. Butler in 
Albany, coming to the bar in 1832. In the summer of 1835 he visited 
Michigan on a tour of pleasure, going in a INIackinaw boat as far as Lake 
Superior with a party of ladies, and in the spring of 1836 he returned and 
settled in Detroit. After remaining in that city for twelve years in the 
constant practice of his profession, and uniformly declining all proflers of 
office, he removed to New York city in 1848, and in 1858 he again became 
a resident of Detroit, to which he is bound by many endearing associations, 
and where he expects to spend the remainder of his days. Although brought 
up in the Democratic scliool of politics, he was an earnest supporter of 
President Lincoln, and of the war for the Union, and in consequence of 
his popularity as a speaker, was frequently called upon to deliver S2)eeches 
of encouragement or welcome to the troops assembled in Detroit during the 
war. Among his more notable successes as a lawyer may be mentioned, lirst, 
his eflf()rts, single-handed, to prove the unconstitutionality in both the State 
and Federal courts of the general banking laws of the State, which resulted 
in so much financial disaster many years ago ; secondly, his efforts in bring- 
ing about a change in tlie policy of the General Government respecting 
the locating of public lands in the mineral region of Lake Superior, under 
what were called " Mineral leasee," which he maintained were invalid ; and 
although iiis legal services in behalf of the State and country have been 
recognized as important, he has never asked or received a single dollar in 
the way of compensation for such services. His declared hostility to what 
was known as the " wild cat banks," naturally raised a great deal of oi)po- 
sition to him personally; and when he subsequently thought proper to 
accept a commission from the contracting parties in New York fur negoti- 
ating an important loan in that city for tlie benefit of the State, he was 
subjected to much further animosity ; but these unhappy and semi-political 
difl'erences have been well nigh f )rgotten, and all men acquainted with the 
history of those times, acknowledge that his course in the whole transac- 
tion was only fair and honorable. 



Rowland, Thomas. He was born in Ohio ; served as a JIajor of 

Infantry under General Hull, in 1813 and '14; and retired from the army 
in 1815, locating in Detroit. He held the position of Secretary of the 
Territory of Michigan ; was subsequently appointed United States Marshal 
2 E 



482 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

for the Detroit district ; was appointed Postmaster of that city by General 
Harrison ; was also elected Secretary of State in 1840, and died in Detroit 
in August, 1848. Pie was a man of culture and highly esteemed, and in 
1819 he read a paper before the Detroit Lyceum on Hull's Campaign, which 
has frequently been quoted with commendation. 



RucKER, Daniel H. He was born on Grosse Isle, Detroit River, and 

was a resident of Michigan, Avhen appointed, in 1837, a Second Lieutenant 
in the Light Dragoons, and subsequently performed much official duty 
within the limits of the State. In 1838 he became an assistant in the Sub- 
sistence Department of the Army ; in 1844 a First Lieutenant ; and a Cap- 
tain in 1S47. He served in the jMexican war, and had command of a 
squadron at the battle of Buena Vista, and for his gallantry and meritori- 
ous conduct he was breveted a Major. In 1849 he was transferred to the 
Quartermaster's Department, with which he has ever since been connected, 
and in which, during the Rebellion, he performed at Washington an im- 
mense amount of the most arduous labor. Although holding the rank of 
Cohmel in the army, he was made a Brigadier-General, and also a Major- 
General by brevet, f )r diligent and faithful services during the late Rebel- 
lion. After the war he was made Chief Quartermaster for the District of 
the East, with his headquarters at Philadelphia; but was subsequently as- 
signed to similar duty in the North-west, with his headquarters at Chicago. 



Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe. He was born, in Albany, New York, 

March 28, 1793; educated at Middlebury College; in 1817 he visited the 
West, and published a work entitled "A View of the Lead ]\Iines of Mis- 
souri ; " in 1820 he was appointed geologist of the exploring expedition, 
under General Cass, to Lake Superior and the head of the Mississippi, and 
published an account of it in 1821 ; made a second tour to the West, and 
published " Travels in the Central Portions of the JNIississippi Valley ;" in 
1822 he was appointed an Indian agent fn- the Northwest ; from 1828 to 
1832 he was a member of the Territorial Legislature of iMichigan ; in the 
former year founded tlie Michigan Historical Society at Detroit, and in 
1831 the Algic Society; in 1832 he made another expedition to the West, 
and discovered the source of the Mississippi, of which he published an 
account in 1834 ; in 1836 he made an Indian treaty, which secured sixteen 
million aci'es of land to the United States; removed to New York City in 
1841; visited Europe in 1842; ])ublished, by authority of the State of New 
Yoi'k, in 1848, "JSotcs on the Iroquois ;" about that time published a book of 
Indian legends, entitled "Alrjic liesearchcs ;" commenced the publication in 
1850 for the Government, of " Historical luformation Hespecting the Uistory, 
Condition, and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States," which 
resulted in six quarto volumes, illustrated by Captain Seth Eastman; and 
after many years of suffering from rheumatic affections, which he bore with 
rare Christian fortitude, he died at his residence in Washington City Decem- 
ber 10, 1804. The total number of his publications, as his widow iaf)rmed 
the writer, was thirty-one; and as the historian of the American Indians, 
he will always be considered the leading authority. While he did not 
aspire to the title of poet, he nevertheless wrote verses occasionally ; and 
one of his poems, because of its association with Michigan and the fate of 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 483 

its aborigines, may with propriety be appended to tins notice. It is enti- 
tled Geekale, an Indian Lament : 

The black-bird is singing on Michigan's shore, 

As sweetly nnd gaily as ever befure; 

For he knows to his male he at i)leasure can hie, 

And the dear little brood she is t' aching to fly. 

The sun looks as ruddy and rises as bright, 

And reflects o'er the mountains as beamy a light 

As it ever reflected, or ever expressed. 

When my skies were the bluest, luy dreams wore the best. 

The fox and the panther, both beasts of the night, 

Retire to their dens on the gleaming of light; 

And they sp-ing with a free and sorrowless track, 

For they know that their mates are expecting them back. 

Each bird and eacli beast it is bless'd in degree ; 

All nature is cheerful, all happy but me. 

I will go to my tent and lie down in despair ; 
I will paint me with black, and will sever my hair ; 
I will sit on the shore, where the hurricane blows, 
And reveal to the God of the teiupest my woes. 
I will weep for a season on bitterncjss fed, 
For my kindred are gone to the hills of the dead; 
But they died not by hunger, or lingering decay, 
The steel of the white man hath ^wepl them away. 

This snake-skin, that once I so sacredly wore, 
I will toss with disdain on (he storm-beaten shore ; 
Its charms I no longer obey or invoke, 
lis spirit has left me, its spell is uow broke. 
I will raise up my voice to the source of the light, 
I will dream on the wings of the blue-bird at night ; 
I will speak to the s[)irits that whisper in leaves. 
And that minister balm to the spirit that grieves ; 
And will take a new .Manitou — such as shall seem 
To be kind and propitious in every dream. 

0, then T shall banish these caikering sighs, 
And tears shall no longr gush salt from my eyes. 
I shall wash from my face every cloud-colored stain ; 
Red, red shall alone on my visage remain ! 
I will dig up my hatchet and bend my ash bosv, 
By night and by day 1 will follow the foe ; 
Nor lakes shall impede me, nor mountains, nor snows. 
His blood can alone give my spirit repose. 

They came to my cabin when heaven was black, 
I heard not their coming, I knew not their track ; 
But I saw by the light of their iilazing fucees • 

They were people engendered beyond tho big seas. 
My wife and my children — spare me the tale I 
For who is there left that is kiu to Geehale ? 



Sibley, Ebexezer S. He was the son of Solomon Sibley, and born 

in Ohio ; entered the We^t Point Academy from INIichigan and was grad- 
uated in 1827 ; as Second Lieutenant in the Artillery he served at Fort 
Monroe in Virginia, Fort Independence in i\Ias.sachiisett.s, Fort Moultrie in 
South Carolina, and then on Engineer duty until 1834, when he was made 
First Lieutenant. In 1836 he was in tho Florida war; in 1837 and 1838, 
on Indian duty, and as aid to General Brady; from 1838 to 1840 he was 



484 ■ BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

on duty at Savannah, Georgia; was again in the Florida war from 1840 to 
1842; also as Captain on duty in Maine, IMassachusetts, and Texas; served 
in the Mexican war, and was present at the battle of Buena Vista, and for 
galhmt conduct was appointed a Major by brevet in 1848; from 1848 to 
liJSl he was on duty in Detroit; and after service in New Mexico and 
Kansas, he became an Assistant in the Quartermaster's Department at 
Washington in 1856, with the title of Staff Major; and from 1S61 to 1864 
he was Principal Assistant and Deputy Quartermaster General, with the rank 
of Lieutenant-Colonel of Staff, He resigned his Commission in the army 
in 1864, since which time he has been the Vice President of two important 
mining companies of Lake Superior. 



Sibley, Henry H. He was the son of Solomon Sibley, and born in 

Detroit in 1811 ; spent much of his early life on the Northwestern frontier; 
and was for many years an Indian trader in the employ of the American 
Fur Company at Mackinaw and at Fort Snelling. From 1849 to 1853 he 
was a Delegate to Congress from the Territory of Minnesota; and having 
witnessed its progress from a wilderness to an organized State, he was elect- 
ed in l'-*57 its first Governor, serving until 1858. He was a Brigadier-Gen- 
eral of volunteers during the great Rebellion ; commanded an expedition 
agaiust the Indians in 1863, and was subsequently breveted a IMajor-Gen- 
eral of volunteers. He was also a Delegate to the Cleveland "Soldiers' 
Convention" of 1866; and in 1867 was appointed a visitor to the "West 
Point Academy. 



Sibley, Solomon. He was born in Sutton, Massachusetts, October 

7, 1769. He studied law, and removed to Ohio in 1795, establishing him- 
self first at Marietta, and then at Cincinnati, in the practice of his profes- 
sion. He removed to Detroit in 1797, and in 1799 was elected to the first 
Territorial Legislature of the Northwestern Territory. In 1819 he took 
part in what was called the "Pontiac Mill Company," which erected the 
first flouring and saw mills in that town. He was a Delegate to Congress 
from the Territory of Michigan, from 1><20 to 1823; in 1^24 he was appoint- 
ed Judge of the Supreme Court, and held the office until 1836, when he 
resigned in consequence of increasing deafness. He died at Detroit, April 
4, 1846. He was universally respected for his talents and manif )ld virtues. 
He left three sons, two born in Detroit, ^lichigan, and all of whom have 
conferred honor upon the family name as public men. 



Shearman, Francis W. He was born in Vernon, Oneida County, 

New York; graduated at Hamilton College in that State, in his nineteenth 
year; soon afterwards removed to Michigan and settled at Detroit; and 
was for a time an assistant of Henry R. Schoolcraft when engaged in mak- 
ing treaties with the Indians. He subsequently studied law, and after his 
admission to the bar, became a resident of Marshall, about the year 1840. 
Besides a variety of local positions of honor and trust, he was elected to 
the Legislature, and was for some years Superintendent of Public Instruc- 
tion; and although always devoted to his profession, he officiated for sev- 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 485 

eral years as Editor of the "Democratic Expounder" in Marshall. In 1852 
he published a very useful work on the System of Public Instruction, and 
the Primary School Laws of Michigan. He is still a citizen of Marshall. 



Sheldox, Electra M. With the personal history of this lady, the 

writer is unacquainted, but he does know that she has reflected honor upon 
herself and the State of Michigan with her pen. Wiiile editing a literary 
periodical in Detroit, in 1858, she commenced the publication of such facte 
as she could obtain concerning the early history of Michigan. General 
Cass took an interest in her enterprise, and presented lier with a mass of 
interesting documents bearing upon her studies, which he had obtained in 
Paris. These, with her own materials, slie worked up into a valuable work, 
which she published in 1S5G, entitled "The Early History of Michi<^an, 
from the first settlement to 1815." In 18G0 Mrs. Sheldon j)ublislied an- 
other work entitled " The Clevelands; showing the influence of a Christian 
Family in the New Settlements." 



Sheldox, Jony P. He was the founder, in 1817, of the Detroit Ga- 
zette, which continued to flourish until 18o0, when the office was burned and 
the paper suspended. During the term of William Woodbridge upon the 
bench, a man named John Reed was tried in the court before a jury and 
found guilty, and in noticing the case, Mr. Sheldon was very severe upon 
the court, declared that he had a perfect right to print his own opinion, and 
uttered the curious boast that he had "scourged one set of Judges off the 
Bench, and most of them out of the Territory." For this assault he was 
himself tried and fined five hundred dollars, which sum, although abund- 
antly able, he refused to pay, and consequently suffered a short imprison- 
ment. 



SMixn, Henry. He was born in New York ; graduated at the United 

States Military Academy in 1815, and at once appointed a Third Lieu- 
tenant of Artillery ; in 1816 he was made a Second Lieutenant of Infantry, 
serving in the Garrison at Greenbush from 1816 to 1819. During the four 
following years he was on Quartermaster's duty at Sackett's Harbor and 
Plattsburgh, New York; Green Bay, in Wisconsin; Fort Brady. in Michi- 
gan; and Fort Smith, in Arkansas; from 1823 to 1826, as a First Lieu- 
tenant, he served on the Staff of General Scott; and during the following 
ten years he was stationed at Jefferson Barrack, in Missouri; served as a 
Captain in the Black Hawk war, and was present at the battle of Bad Axe, 
and also served as an Engineer, resigning his commission in 1836. From 
1S36 to 1840 he was a Civil Engineer in the service of the United States, 
superintending harbor improvements on Lake Erie; was a member of the 
Michigan Legislature in 1S37 and 1840; Di.sbursing Agent for the Indian 
Department in 1838; Major-General of the Michigan Militia from 1841 to 
1846; and Mayor of Monroe in the latter year. In 1^47 he wasreapi>()inted 
in the Army with the rank of Major, performing quartermaster's duty at 
Detroit antl in the war with Mexico, and died at Vera Cruz, July 24, 1847. 
He always took a special interest in the public affairs of Michigan, and 
left a large circle of friends. 



486 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN-. 

Smith, Joseph R. He was born in Kew York, and graduated at the 

West Point JNIilitary Academy in 1823. As a Lieutenant he served at 
Saute de Ste. Marie fn m 1823 to 1825; in 1826 -was assigned to Topo- 
graphical duty in ]Scw York and on the frontiers; uas stationed at Fort 
Mackinaw from 1832 to 1^33; at Fort Brady from 1833 to 1835; after 
which he was sent to Florida, and i'or his services there and elsewhere, he 
was promoted to the rank of Captain. He took an active fiart in the war 
with Mexico ; was ])rescnt at the siege of Vera Cruz, the battles of Cerro 
Gordo, Oka Laka, Contrcras, and Churubusco, in which lie Avas twice 
Wounded, and for his gallant and meritorious services was appointed Brevet 
Major iu 1847. In 1851 he Vv-as promoted to the rank of IMajor of the 
Seventh United States Infantry, and was absent from duty ou sick leave 
from 1851 to 1862. Iu 1£61 he was retired for disability from w'ounds 
received iu battle; but as the Rebellion progressed he was again called upon 
and performed much important duty as Mustering and Disbursiug officer 
iu Michigan, as Military Commander of the District of Michigan, as Com- 
missary of Musters in the Northern Department, and the Department of 
Ohio and of the Great Lakes. In 1865 he was made a Brevet-Colonel for 
meritorious services during the Rebellion; and shortly afterwards was bre- 
veted Brigadier-General lor " long and faithful services " iu behalf of his 
country. 

Sprague, William. lie was born in Rhode Island, and, removing 

to Michigan, Avas a Representative in Congress from that State, from 1849 
to 1851 ; and died soon afterwards. 



Stanley, J. M. He was. born in Canaudaigua, New York, in 1814; 

spent his boyhood chiefly in Buffalo ; removed to Michigan iu 1834, and iu 
tlie following year commenced his profession of Portrait Painting in De- 
troit; between the years 1^'37 and 1^39 he resided iu Chicago and Galena, 
painting much among the Indians at Fort Si'ielliug ; subsequently practiced 
his art iu New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Troy; in 1842 travelled 
extensively over the western prairies, painting the portraits, iu full costume, 
of leading chiefs around Fort Gibson, iu Texas and New Mexico; crossed 
the Rocky ]\Iouutains with the Kearney and Emory Expeditions, and after 
performing much important labor for the Government iu California, he 
visited Oregon, travelled extensively along the Columbia River, taking 
sketches and painting pictures of uuiny varieties, in great numbers; after 
which he spent more tliau a year in the Sandwich Islands, and iu 1851 set- 
tled in Washington City, where he resided until 1863, when he returned to 
Detroit, where it is likely he will spend the remainder of his days. For 
several years, a chief attractit)U of the Smithsonian Institution in Washing- 
ton, Avas a very exteusive collection of Indian .Portraits and miscellaneous 
pictures, painted by Mr. Stanley, but they were unfortunately destroyed by 
fire. As a delineator of Indian character he has never had a superior iu 
this country, and among his historical paintings are several of great inter- 
est depicting events iu tlie history of INIichigan, which have been reproduced 
in chroino-lithograi)h. Admirable jiortrails from his pencil, of distinguished 
men, are to be fond in all ])arts of the ccjuntry. 



Stcvexs, Hestor L. He was born iu Lima, Livingston County, New 

York, iu October, 1803 ; received a good English and classical education ; 



BIOGRAPHICAL niSTOHY OF MICHIGAN. 4,37 

adopted the profession of law ; was for several years conneeted with (he 
press in lioeliester ; and having taken up his residence in ]\Iichijran, was 
elected a Representative in Congress from that State from 1853 to 1<S55. 
Died in Georgetown, 1). C, May 7, 1864. 



8t. Clair, ARTntiR. He was horn in Edinlnirgh ; was a Lieutenant 

under General Wolfe, and subsequently settled in Pennsylvania, where he 
became a naturalized citizen. At the commencement of the Kevolution 
he joined the American Army; and in 1777 was appointed a Major Gen- 
eral, and served with distinction. In 1783 he was elected President of the 
Cincinnati Society of his ad()])ted State; was a delegate to the Continental 
Congress from 1785 to 1787, and in the latter year was chosen President of 
that body. He was afterwards appointed Governor of the Northwest Ter- 
ritory, which then included Michigan, and in 1790 he commanded an army 
against the JMiami Indians. He resigned his commission as j\Iajor General 
in 1792, and the closing yeaVs of his life were passed iu obscurity and jjov- 
erty. lie died in 1818; and although some of his military acts caused 
much discussion, he was honored by having his name affixed to one of the 
counties of the State; but tlie boautif;d lake which borders the Detroit 
regi(m of ]\Iichigan was so named by the. early missionaries on account of 
the purity of its waters, and not, as many suppose, after the General. 



Stoughton, William L. He Avas born in New York March 20, 

1827 ; studied law, and, on coming to the bar, settled in Sturges, Michigan, 
iu 1851 ; from 185G to 18(J() he was a Proseeutim^ Attorney ; in 1>!G1 he 
was appointed by President Lincoln United States District Attorney for 
Michigan, which he soon resigned ; he then entered the volunteer arn'iy as 
Lieutenant-Cohmel, was promoted a (Jolonel, and commanded in ail the 
operations of his regiment until wounded at Atlanta. During the war he 
was breveted a Brigadier-General f)r " galhintry in the liohl," and after 
the war he was breveted a Major-General. He had the credit of firiu"- the 
first gun at Chickamauga; commanded a brigade at Mission Ritlge, and 
iu the Atlanta campaign ; and lost a leg by a cannon-ball at Rupp's Sta- 
tion, iu front of Atlanta. In 18GC) he was elected Attorney-General of 
Michigan, and in 1>^G8 a Representative from that State to the Forty-first 
Congress, serving on the Committees on Military Affairs and Revolutionary 
Pensions. He resides iu Sturgis, and was re-elected to the Forty-second 
Conjrress. 



Strickland, Randolph. He was born in Danville, Steuben County, 

New York, February 4, 1823 ; received a common school education and 
engaged in teaching; removed to Michigan in 1844, and studied Iaw;'came 
to the bar in 1>^49; was Prosecuting Attorney f»r Clinton County in 1852, 
1854, 185G, 1>!58, and 18G2; was elected to the State Senate in"l8Gl and 
1802; was a Provost Marslial from lS(j3 to 18(i5 ; member of the State 
Re])ublican Committee; a Delegate to the National Conventions of 1856 
and 1808; and was elected a Representative fi-om Michigan to the Forty- 
First Congress, serving on the Cv)mmittees on Insalid Pensions, aud Klines 
and Mining. He resides in St. John. 



488 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

Strickland, William P. He was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, 

in 1809; was educated at the Athens University of Ohio; entered the 
Methodist ministry in 1832; was for four years agent of the American 
Bible Society; and was subsequently associate editor of the Chrktian Ad- 
vocate and Journal in New York city. He is also a Doctor of Divinity; 
and is the author of an interesting and useful work entitled Old Macki- 
naw ; or the Fortress of the Lakes and its Surroundings, published in 1860; 
and also of A History of the Avurican Bible Society, published in 1849; A 
History of the Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1850; Manual of 
Biblical Literature, 1853; and Light of the Temple, 1854. He has been an 
extensive contributor to the leading periodicals of the country, and is re- 
cognized as a man of ability. 



Stuart, Charles E. He was born in Columbia County, New York, 

November 25, 1810, and adopted the profession of law. He was a mem- 
ber of tlie Michigan Legislature in 1842; a Representativein the Thirtieth 
and Thirty-Second Congresses; and was elected in 1853, for six years, a 
Senator in Congress, serving as Chairman of the Committee on Public 
Lands. He was also a Delegate to the Philadelphia National Union Con- 
vention of 1866. 



Stuart, David. He was born in New York, and was a Representa- 
tive in Congress from Michigan, from 1853 to 1855. 



Sutherland, Jabez G. He was born in Onondaga County, New 

York, October 6, 1825; removed with his Father to Michigan in 1836, and 
has ever since resided in the Counties of Genesee and Saginaw. He stud- 
ied law, and came to the bar in 1848; in 1849 he settled in Sagiuaw City, 
and was made Prosecuting Attorney for that County ; he was a Delegate to 
the Constitutional Convention of 1850, and it was through his efforts that 
the Counties of Tuscola, Saginaw, Midland, Montcalm, and Newaygo, were 
named as entitled to one Representative each in the Legislature, without 
regard to the number of their inhabitants. In 1853 he was elected to the 
State Legislature; during tiie next ten years, was wholly devoted to the 
practice of his profession, with unusual success; in 1858 he was the unsuc- 
cessful Democratic candidate for the office of Attorney-General; in 1863 
he was elected Circuit Judge of the Tenth Circuit, and re-elected to the 
same position in 1869 without opposition. His Circuit was for a time the 
largest in the State, and the character of the business important, and his 
written decisions would fill many volumes. He was also a Delegate to the 
Constitutional Convention of 1867. In August, 1870, he was nominated 
for Congress by the Democrats, with the help of the Republicans, aud con- 
trary to iiis will, and at the election in November, was elected to the Forty- 
Second Congress. 



SwAYNE, Noah H. As the successor of Jolin l\IcLean, and because 

of his judicial connection with the State of ^lichigaii, we submit the follow- 
ing particulars respecting Mr. Justice Swayue. lie was born in Culpepper 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 489 

County, Virginia, December 27, 1804. While performing the duties of a 
clerk in an Apothecary store in Alexandria, he acquired the rudiments of 
an English and classical education, and j)ropared himself for the ISIedical 
profession. He soon began the study of law, however, at Warrenton, and 
immediately after his admission to the bar in 1^24, he removed to Ohio and 
settled at Coshocton. In 1^29 he was elected to the Legislature of that 
State; in 1^30 he was aj)pointed by President Jackson, United States Dis- 
trict Attorney for Ohio, holding the position nine years, and residing in 
Columbus, in 1884 he was chosen Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, 
but declined the office. In 1^36 he was again elected to the State Legisla- 
ture, and took a leading part in organizing Institutions or Asylums for the 
benefit of the Blind, the Lunatic, and the Deaf and Dumb of the State; 
and in 1S61 he was appointed by President Lincoln a Justice of the Su- 
preme Court of the United States, his District comprehending the States of 
Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee. 



Sweet, "NViLBER. He was born in Vermont in 1760; served as a boy 

in the Army of the Revolution, and as a soldier tiiroughout the entire war 
of 1^12; settled in Michigan in 1818; became an active member of the 
Church when in the eighty-third year of his age; and died at Kalamazoo, 
August 19, 1857. 



Tappan, Henry Pnii.ip. He was born in Rhinebeck, early in the 

present century; graduated at Union College in 1H25; was for two years 
pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church in Schenectady; in 182S became Pas- 
tor of the Congregational Church at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which posi- 
tion he resigned in 1831, and visited the West Indies; was a Professor in 
the University of New York from 1832 to 1838; subsequently devoted 
himself to literary j)ursuits; in 1851 and again in 1853, he visited Europe; 
in 1852 he was again invited to the New York University, (which Institu- 
tion he left by resignation,) but declining that offer, became Chancellor of the 
University of Michigan, in which position he remained for many years, 
when his connection with it was broken off, and he again visited juirope. 
His publications are as follows: Frredom of fhr Will, Doctrine of the Will, 
Element.'' of Logic, University Education, and A Step from the New World to 
the Old World. It was througli his personal efli)rts that a first cla.s9 Astro- 
nomical Observatory was established in connection with the University, the 
necessary funds having been obtained from liberal citizens of Detroit,' 



TECTJMSEn. He was born in Ohio on the Sciota River, about the year 

1770; was for many yeai-s engaged in predatory incursions against the white 
inhabitants of the Northwest, and to a considerable extent in the Territory 
of Michigan; and in 18U6, as elsewhere mentioned in this volume, he ma- 
tured the project of a Confederacy of all the Indian triites in the Lake 
country, for the exterminaticm of the white race in that region. The bat- 
tle of Tippecanoe, fought November 7, 1811, in which General Harrison 
defeated the brother of Tecuniseh, more generally known as the Prophet, 
completely annihilated the hopes of the barbarian brothers. Tecumseh was 
not prei<ent at this battle. During the war with Great Britain, he was an 
2 E * 



490 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

ally of King George; had under his command about two thousand follow 
Indians, and held the rank of Brigadier-General. lie was present witli his 
forces in several engagements, and was killed by Colonel Richard JM. John- 
sun in the battle of ]\ioravian Towns, October 5, 1S13. He has been made 
the hero of many poems and tales, and was a warrior of much renown; and 
his life was written by Benjamin Drake. Henry J. Morgan, in his work on 
Celebrated Canadians, makes the remark that the Provinces of Canada 
might have been lust to the British Crown, had it not been for such " brave 
and devoted mcu" as Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet. 



Thurber, Jefferson G. He was l)orn in 1807, and become a resi- 
dent of Monroe, Michigan, in 1833. He was a lawyer by profession, and 
earnestly devoted to its practice; was a Prosecuting Attorney for the State; 
Judge of Probate for Monroe County ; a Presidential Elector in 1 840 ; also 
served as a Representative and a Senator in the State Legislature; was 
Speaker of the House in 1852; and filled all those positii)ns with honor to 
himself and the State. He died in Monroe, May 6, 1857, leaving a bright 
rejiutatiou. 



ToNTi, Henri de. He came to Canada from Italy, where he had 

been an ofScer in the military service, as an assistant to La Salle, but spent 
more time in the Michigan country than did his chief He was on duty at 
Detroit, Mackinaw, and the Saute de Ste. Marie ; explored Lakes Huron 
and IMichigan, as well as the rivers Illinois and Mississippi; and he was so 
deei)ly attached to La Salle that he served him as Captain from 1G78 for a 
long time without pay. By all those with whom he was associated his ser- 
vices were highly aj^preciated. When La Salle died he happened to be in 
the North, and seized with a desire to rescue his remains, he attempted a 
journiy to the Southwest, which only terminated in disaster. Having in 
early life lost one of his hands in a military exploit in Italy, he subse- 
quently used an iron hand, which he kept gloved, and all his exploits in 
America as an explorer and fur-trader were performed under that disad- 
vantage. It is said, however, that he would occasionally knock an Indian's 
tooth out of his head with great ease, which gave him the reputation of 
being a " medicine num." For some years there was a blight resting upon 
his reputation because of the rascalities of his brother, Ali)honso de Tonti, 
who long commanded at Detroit. He wrote an account of his adventures 
in America, which was published after his death, hut when and where he 
died is unknown. During a portion of his career in America he served as 
a Captain, under Cadillac, the f)under of Detroit. His name is printed 
Tonty as well as Tonti, but the latter style would seem to be more iu keep- 
ing with the Italian language. 



Trowbridge, Chart.es C. He was born in Albany, New York, 

Deccndier 29, 1800, and was the sun of Luther Trowbridge, who served 
with credit as an oiHcer in the Revolutionary War from ISIassachusetts, but 
subsequently settled iu New York. AVheu twelve years of age he became 
a ckrU with Horatio Ross, of Oswego, New York, where he remained until 
1819, when he removed to the Territory of Miciiigau, and settled iu Detroit, 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICniGAN. 491 

with which he has ever since been intimately identified. From 1^19 to 
1825 lie held various positions of trust under Thomas Ilowland and Lewis 
Cass. "With the latter he was on the most intimate terms of friendship, 
and in many nejrotiations with the Indians he was vested by the CxDveriior 
with large discretion ; and because of his acquaintance with various Indian 
dialects, he was enabletl to render important assistance to the Govei-nmcnt 
in negotiating treaties. AVhen General Cass became Secretary of War he 
invited I\Ir. Trowbridge to take a leading position in that Department ; but 
his disinclination for office compelled him to decline the offer. In l!^2o he 
was appointed Cashier of the Baidc of jNIichigan, at that time the only liaidc 
north of Cincinnati and west of llochester, and held the position for ten 
years; he was IMayor of Detroit in 1834, when the city suffered from chol- 
era, and the duties of the office were pcrf )rmcdwith great danger and dis- 
comfort; in 1837 he was the AVhig candidate for Governor of IMicliigan, 
and was defeated by a small majority ; in 1839 he became President of the 
Bank of Michig-an, and so continued during its existence; from 1844 to 
1854 he was President of the IMichigan State Baidc ; in 1853 he became 
the Secretary, Treasurer, and Resident Director of tlie Detroit and INIil- 
waukee Railroad Company ; and in 1863 he was elected President of the 
Company, which jiosition he still holds. During the summer of 1870 lie 
visted Europe. "With regard to the part he has taken in projecting and 
promoting works of public interest, of charity and benevolence, and of 
religious importance connected with the State of IMichigan, there is but one 
opinion among the jicople, and that is altogether honorable to his mind and 
heart. 



Trowbridge, Rowland E. "Was b(n-u in Elmira, New York, June 

18, 1821 ; removed with his parents to Michigan wdien a mere child ; grad- 
uated at Kenyon College, Ohio, in 1841; has been devoted all his life to 
the l)usiness of farming ; was elected to the Senate of Michigan in 185(3 and 
l'^58 ; and in ISGO was elected a Representative from IMichigan to the 
Thirty-seventh Congress, serving on the Committee on the Post OlHce and 
Post Roads. lie was also re-clectcd to the Thirty-ninth Congress, serving 
on the Committees on Revolutionary Claims and Agriculture. He was 
also a Delegate to the Philadelphia "Loyalists' Ctmvention" of 1800, and 
was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress, serving as Cliairman of the Com- 
mittee on Agriculture. lie is a nephew of C. C. Trowbridge, one of the 
most prominent citizens of Detroit. 



Trowbridge, William P. lie was born in IMichigan, and appointed 

from that State to the West Point Academy, where he graduateil in 1«4S. 
He was assigned to the Corps of Engineers, and had charge of the Ob- 
servatory at West Point. In 1840, as Lieutenant, he was assigned to duty 
in the Coast Survey; engaged in making Primary Triangulations on the 
coasts of Elaine and Virginia; in 1854 was promoted to First Lieutenant, 
and assigned to surveying duties on the Pacific coast. In 1850 he resigned 
his commission in the Army; was Professor of Mathematics in the Uni- 
versity of IMichigan in 1S50 and 1857; was made an A. M. by the Roch- 
ester (New York) University ; and from 1857 until 1^01 was a scientific 
assistant to Professor Bache on the coast survey. From 1>61 until 1805 
he was engaged in superiuteuding, as Engineer, the public works in the 



492 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

harbor of New York, viz: at "Willett's Point, Fort Schuyler, and Govern- 
or's Island. Since 1865 he has held the position of Vice President of the 
extensive Novelty Works in New York, 



Tkumbull, John. As this eminent author and jurist was the father- 
in-law of William Woodbridge, and spent the last six years of his life as 
a citizen of Michigan, he comes into our present record with strict pro- 
priety. He was born in Connecticut in 1750, and graduated at Yale Col- 
lege at a very early age. In 1772 he published the first part of his poem, 
entitled The Progress oj Idleness. In the following year he was admitted 
to the bar in Connecticut, and removing to Boston, continued his legal 
studies in the office of John Adams. He returned to Connecticut in 1774, 
and commenced the practice of his profession in New Haven. The first 
part of McTingal was published in Philadelphia in 1775; but in 1782 the 
poem was completed and published in Hartford, where the author at that 
time resided. More than thirty editions of this work were published in 
his life time. In 17^9 he was appointed State Attorney for the County of 
Hartford, and in IbOl a Judge of the Superior Court of Errors, which 
position he held until 1819. In 1825 he removed to Detroit and resided 
with his daughter, Mrs. Woodbridge, and he died at Spring Wells in May, 
1831. 



Turner, Josiah. He was born in New Haven, Addison County, 

Vermont, September 1,1811 ; received an academical education at Middle- 
bury and St. Albans in that State; studied law with his uncle, Hon. Bates 
Turner, and was admitted to the bar in 1833, in St. Alban's County, where 
he commenced the practice of his profession. In 1><40 he emigrated to 
Michigan and settled in Howell, Livingston C\)uuty, where he resumed his 
profession; in 1857 he was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of 
the State by the Governor, and shortly afterwards was elected by the 
people Circuit Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit for six years, and in 
1863 re-elected for the same time. In 1869 he was again re-elected, by 
both political parties, for a third term of six years, and without any oppo- 
sition. He removed from Howell to Owasso in 1860; was chosen Mayor 
of tliat city in 1864 for two years; and he was a member of the State Cou- 
titutional Convention of 1867. With such a record to stand upon, it were 
superfluous to add that Judge Turner has been a popular and highly in- 
fluential citizen of the State. 



Tyler, Moses Coit. He was born in Griswold, New London county, 

Connecticut, in 1835; was taken to Michigan by his parents while yet an 
infant, and they settled first in Calhoun county, and afterwards in Detroit; 
he graduated at Yale College in 1857 ;. studied theology at Andovcr, and in 
1860 was engaged in the ministry at Poughkeepsie, New York; left the 
ministry in 1802 on account of his health, and visited Europe. During 
his sUiy abroad he lectured on topics connected with the civil war ; wrote 
occasi<)nally for English and American periodicals; returned to this coun- 
try in 1867, and lectured throughout the Northern States ; and during that 
year he was appointed Professor of the English Language and Literature 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 493 

in the University of Michigan, which position he continues to hold. In 
1869 he published a volume of Essays on physical culture, entitled "The 
Brownville Papers," and has been connected editorially vith the ^'ew York 
Independent, and a writer for various periodicals, lie has frequently been 
invited to accept of honorable positions outside of Michigan, but has j)re- 
ferred to cast in his lot with the State to which he is bound by many old 
associations. 



Upsox, Charles. Bom in Southington, Hartford county, Connecti- 
cut, March 19, 1821 ; received a good English education ; removed to Mich- 
igan in 1845; studied law, and came to the bar in 1S47; in 1849 and l^^SO 
was County Clerk for St. Joseph county; in 1853 and l!^54 was Prosecut- 
ing Attorney for the same; in 1855 and 1856 held the office of State Sena- 
tor; in 1861 and 1862 he Avas Attorney-General f)r ^lichigan, and was 
elected a Representative from INIichigan to the Thirty-eighth Congress, 
serving on tlie Committee on Elections and Unfinished Business. lie-elected 
to the Tliirty-ninth Congress, serving on the Committees on Elections, and 
Revolutionary Pensions. He was also a Delegate to the Philadelphia 
"Loyalists' Convention" of 1^66; and was re-elected to the Eortieth Con- 
gress, and made Chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Navy 
Department. In 1870 he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court for the 
Fifteenth District of Michigan. 



Van Dyke, James A. He was born in Mercersburg, Franklin 

County, Pennsylvania, in December, 1813; received his education at Slad- 
isou College, which he entered in 1^2?^ ; studied law at Cliambersburg, aiid 
also at Ilagcrstown, in ^laryland ; and after spending one year in Balti- 
more, removed to Detroit. In that city he was associated with A. D. I'^'ra- 
zer, C. W. AVhipple, E. B. Harrington, and II. II. Emmons in the practice 
of his profession. In 1>^40 he was :i])pointcd Piosecuting Attorney for the 
County of Wayne; in 1S4.'> and 1844 he was chosen an Alderman in the 
Councils of Detroit; in 1847 he was elected Mayor of the City; was a 
member of tlie Board of Commissioners of the Detroit Water AVorks ; also 
an active fireman, and President of the Fire Department of the city for 
five years; he also held a number of other local j)ositions of honor and 
trust, and died May 7, 1855; and having for many years been a promi- 
nent member of the Bar at Detroit, the honors which were paid to his 
memory by that body were in keeping with his many virtues as a man of 
high character and ability. An interesting tribute to his memory was pub- 
lished in Detroit in 1856. He acquired special distinction in what was 
known as the railroad conspiracy case of 1851. 



Walbridoe, David S. Born in Bennington, Vermont, July 30, 1802; 

reccivetl his education from the common schools of that vicinity ; devoted 
himself to the various employments of the farmer, the merchant, and the 
miller; removed to Michigan in 1842, and was elected a Representative in 
Congress from that State in l'^54. and served as such until 1857. He lived 
at Kalamazoo, and died in that place June 15, 1868. 



494 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

AYaldeon, Henry. He Avas ])orn in Albany, New York, October 

11, 1811); graduated at Rutger's College, New Brunswick, New Jei-sey, in 
July, lSo6 ; became a civil engineer by profession, and settled in IMichigan ; 
was elected to the Legislature of IMichigan in 1843; and served as a Kep- 
resentative in Congress during the years 1855, '56, '57, and '58, and was 
a member of the Committee on Mileage. He was re-elected to the Thirty- 
sixth Congress, serving on the Committee on Territcjries. He subsequently 
held a number of local positions of honor and trust in the First Congres- 
sional district ; took a prominent part in organizing troops during the 
Rebellion ; and in 1870 was re-elected to the Forty-second Congress. 



Walker, Charles Irish. He was born in Otsego county, New York, 

April 25, 1814; received a common school education, and was afterwards 
a merchant's clerk ; and in 1836 removed to Michigan, and settled at Grand 
Rapids, where he was engaged in the purchase, for others, of real estate. 
In 1839 he began the study of law ; in 1840 he Avas elected to the State 
Legislature; in 1841 Avent to New England to complete his legal studies; 
and having come to the bar in Vermont, spent about ten j^ears in that State 
practicing his profession. In 1851 he returned to Michigan, and' settled in 
Detroit; and in 1857 he aided in reviving the Historical Society of Michi- 
gan, and became its Corresponding Secretary, delivering occasional ad- 
dresses on the early history of the State. On the organization of the Law 
Department hi the University of IMichigan in 1S59, he was appointed Pro- 
fessor of Law, Avhich honorable position he still holds, the school over which 
he presides being considered one of the most successful and largest in the 
Union. In 1867 he was appointed by the Governor to fill a vacancy in the 
Judgeship of the third judicial circuit, which office, after serving one terra, 
he resigned, and returned to the more lucrative employment of practicing 
his profession. 



"Walk-in-the- Water. He was a Huron of the Wyandot tribe. Ilis 

Indian name was My-ee-rah, and he was one of the most active Chiefs with 
Tecumseh in the beginning of the war of 1812. He was friendly to the 
United States, and offered his services to Hull, but, the humane impulses 
of that General, together with his instructions from the Government, would 
not allow him to employ savages. He was leader and orator of the Wyan- 
dots on the American side of the Detroit river, but was forced by circum- 
stances to join the British at Maiden. His heart, however, was not with 
them, and he was active in persuading various tribes to remain neutral. 
The British took measures to counteract this influence, and a council was 
convened at jMnlden, wherein he vimlicated his conduct in a speech, which, 
was called by his enemies "American talk," but it resulted in the separation 
of Tecumseh and the Prophet, with two Wyandot Ciiiefs, who openly joined 
the British ; while AValk-in-the-Water and his associates declined to remain 
with them. He with many of his followers deserted from Proctor at Chat- 
ham, Canada West. He was at the battles of the River Raisin and 
Tiiames, and, at the latter, he with his sixty warriors offered their services 
to Harrison cf)nditionally; which he declined, and they returned to the De- 
troit river. His residence at Maguaga was on the land afterwards owned 
by John Biddle, and on which he built his farm houses. His totem or 
arras, was a turtle. He died about the year 1817. 



BIOGRAPniCAL HISTORY OF MICIIIOAX. 495 

Watson, James C. While living iipou a farm in Michigan, with liis 

motliGiv he conceived the idea ot" obtaining an education at the University 
of the State, and after many difficulties, went through a course of studies 
and was duly graduated., lie Avas subsequently made Professor of Astron- 
omv in that Institution, whicli position he still holds. lie is the author of 
a wn>rk on Comets, and another on Theoretical Astrcuomy; and has ac- 
quired distinction in the scientific world as the discoverer of several new 
planets; and in 1870, the French Academy of Sciences awarded to him 
the Astronomical prize for his important discoveries. 



Wayne, Anthony. He was born in Easttown, Chester County, Penn- 
sylvania, in 1746. In 1773 he was elected a Representative in the (Jeneral 
Assend.)ly, where he took an active part against the claims of Great Brit- 
ain. In 1775 he entered the army as a Cohmel, and in the battle at Three 
Rivers in 1776, received a Avound in the leg, and at the close of the cam- 
paign was made a Brigadier-General. In the battles of Brandywine, ( Jer- 
mantown, and Monmouth, and especially at Stony Point, he greatly distin- 
guished himself, receiving a wound in his head. In 17>1 he led the Penn- 
sylvania line to form a junction with Lafayette in Virginia, and participated 
in the capture of Cornwallis. After that he conducted the war in Georgia, 
with equal success, receiving from that State, through its Legislature, a 
valuable farm as a reward for his services, upon which he retired aftei- the 
war. In 1787 he was a member of the Convention for framing the Fed- 
eral Constitution; and he served as a Representative in Congress from 
Georgia, in 1791, but his seat was successfully contested by James Jack- 
son, and vacated by a resolution of the House. In 17'J2, he was again called 
into military service, and succeeded St. Clair,-in the command of the North- 
west Territory, and so became identified with the Territory of jMichigan. 
In 17i34, at the battle of the IMiami, he gained a complete victory over the 
Indians, won the name of " Mad Anthcmy," and in 1795 he concluded a 
lasting treaty with the hostile tribes of the Northwest, and subsequently 
attained the rank of ^Major-General. It was whilst returning from the 
Upper Lake country, that he had an attack of gout, of which he died in a 
hut at Presque Isle, Harbor of Erie, in 1796, and was temporally buried 
there; but in 1809 his remains were removed to St. David's Church, in 
Chester County, Pennsylvania, where a monument recalling the patriotic 
achievements of his life was placed over his grave, to mark the resting 
place of a true warrior and patriot. That his services on the frontier, were 
appreciated by rJichigau, is proven by the name which distinguishes its 
wealthiest and most populous county. 



Welch, Adonija S. He was born in East Hampton, Connecticut, in 

1S21 ; removed to Michigan in 1839, and graduated at tlie University of 
that State in 1846; studied law, but preferred teaching, and had charge 
of a High School at Jonesville; visited California in 1S40; and on his 
return was Principal of the Normal School of Michigan f )r four years; in 
1865 he removed to Florida, and in I'^GS he was elected a Senator in Con- 
gress from that State for the term ending in 1SG9, serving on the Commit- 
tees ou Agriculture, and Post OtHces and Post Roads. 



496 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

VVheelock, Julia S. As England had her Florence Nightingale in 

the Crimean war, so had the State of JMichigan her Julia Whcelock amid 
the battle-fields of Virginia, and of this noble heroine "we submit the fol- 
lowing : On the 10th of September, 1S62, while engaged in school teach- 
ing in the township of Ionia, Michigan, she heard the sad news that her 
soldier brother, Orville Wheelock, had been wounded at Bull Run; and 
in less than five days from that time she stood beside his grave in the city 
of Alexandria. Then it was that she resolved to remain in this strange 
land, and endeavor, God being her helper, to do for others as she fain 
would have done for her brother. A field of labor soon presented itself, 
which she gladly entered, and to which she devoted all her energies from 
September, 1862, until July, 1865. Her acts of kindness and words of 
Christian comfort during that period, soothed the anguish of many a poor 
soldier in his dying hour, and became a part of the unwritten history of 
Michigan, which the heroic soldiers of that State, still living, will ever re- 
member with heart-felt gratitude. During the period in question slic kept 
a Journal for her own pleasure and not for publication ; but in 1870 she 
was induced by her friends to revise it for the press, and thus came into 
existence " The Boys in White; the Experience of a Hospital Agent in and 
Around Washington." Of this book, we have only to say that it is written 
-with ability and in good taste, abounds in passages of rare interest and 
pathos, and is calculated to give the reader an exalted idea of the truly 
noble and unselfish authoress and heroine. We have only to add that, for 
her services during the war, she never asked nor received any compensa- 
tion, and that for two years thereafter she was a suflTering invalid. 



Wendell, J. A. T. He was of Scotch parentage, born on the Island 

of Mackinaw, and has always resided there. After acquiring a good edu- 
cation, he turned his attention to mercantile pursuits, and for many years 
has been a prime mover in developing the commerce of the more Northern 
Lakes. He served for many sessions in the two Houses of the State Legis- 
lature; and was the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant-Governor of 
Michigan, but failed of election. He visited Europe a few years ago, and 
has travelled much over the United States, but has not yet found any 
place strong enough to allure him from his Island home in the North. 



Whistler, William. By his long residence and military service in 

the North-west, and also by family ties. Colonel Whistler has long been 
identified with Michigan. He entered the Army as a Lieutenant in 1801 ; 
distinguished himself at the battle of Maguago in 1812, and was at once 
promoted to the rank of Captain; in 1822 he was appointed a ^Major by 
brevet for ten years' faithful service; made a full Major in 1826; Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel in 1834; and full Colonel in 1845. His subsequent career 
was equally honorable. His father, John Whistler, Jr., was an Army 
oflficcr, and a citizen of Michigan Territory, and was wounded at the battle 
of Maguago in 1812, and died in 1813. His grandfather, John Whistler, 
was a soldier in the ]3ritish Army, served also in the Army of the United 
States, and died in 1S27. His brother, George W. Whistler, was educated 
at West Point, and after leaving the Army obtained distinction as an en- 
gineer in the service of Russia, and died at St. Petersburgh in 1849. 



BTOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 497 

"Whiting, Henry. He was born in ]\rassachusetts, and entered the 

United States Army as Cornet in the Light Dragoons, in 1808, and was on 
duty in iNIichigan for many years, and always took an interest in tlie Terri- 
tory and State. He was a man of reflection and literary culture, a writer 
for the reviews, and by his occasional discourses, threw much light on 
the history of the Lake country. As a Lieutenant and Aid to General 
Boyd, he was present at the capture of Fort George, in Canada, in 1S13, 
and for his gallantry on that occasion he was breveted a Captain. He was 
also Aid to General Macondj in L^15, and in 1817 Avas made a Captain; in 
1824 he was breveted Major for ten years' service; in 1834 he became a 
Lieutenant-Colonel; in 1838 Deputy Quartermaster General, with the rank 
of Colonel ; in 1846 he was made an Assistant Quartermaster-General ; served 
in Mexico under General Taylor as Chief Quartermaster; was breveted a 
Brigadier-General in 1^'47 for gallant and meritorious service at Buena 
Vista; in L'^r)S he was elected a Ilegcnt of the University of ^Michigan; 
and died in St. Louis, INIissouri, September IG, IS")!. He had a son, Henry 
M. "Whiting, who served with honor in the war with IMexico, became a 
Lieutenant of Artillery, and died at Fort Brown, Texas, October 8, 1853, 
aged thirty-tAvo years. 



"WiiiTiNr,, George L. He was a pi-inter and a man of rare culture, 

long honoral)ly identified with the interests of ^lichigan, and in 1829 
establisJK'd the Detroit Weekly Advertiser, which appeared as a daily news- 
paper in lS3o, and after a long and usei'ul career, was consolidated in 
1862 with The Tribune, and is still published under the title of Advertiser 
and Tribune. In 1834, ]Mr. AVhiting, in conjunction with Stephen Wells, 
published a small volume, entitled Historical and Scientific Sketches of Michi- 
gan, which was made up of interesting papers prepared by Lewis Cass, H. 
R. Schoolcraft, John Biddle, and Henry Whiting. He also puhlislied in 
Detroit two l)ooks in the Ottawa language; first. The Ottawa Prayer Book 
or Anamie Misinaigan, in b^42; and, second, The Indian Book or Aniciaa- 
hek Amisinahikaniwa, in 1830. 



AVniPRLE, Charles "W. He was born in New York, and was among 

the earliest emigrants to Michigan from the East, and for numy years was 
well known throughout the State as a faithful oflicer and jurist. He was 
frequently elected to the State Legislature, and in 1836 and 1837 was 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. He held various positions of 
trust and honor, having long been Judge of the Supreme Court, and a 
member of the Convention of 18-50 which framed the prasent Constitution 
of the State. He died at Detroit, October 25, 1856. 



"Whittelsey, Henry ^[. He was born in Connecticut, August 12, 

1821; studied law in New York City, and was admitted to the bar in 1845; 
removed to Michigan in 1854, and located in Detroit, wiiere he held vari- 
ous positions connected with the Fire Department, Young Men's Society, 
State Military Bcnird, and the Light Guard of the City. He was an ofKcer 
in the School of Instruction at Fort Wayne, where were instructed the 
officers of the first five regiments furnished by Michigan for the suppression 
2 F 



498 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

of the Rebellion, and subsequently rendered important services as a muster- 
ing officer. In 1860 he was elected Register for Wayne County; in 1861, 
Captain and Acting-Quartermaster of Volunteers; in 1865, with the rank 
of Colonel, he was associated with the army of Georgia as Chief-Quarter- 
master; subsequently served on similar duty in Mississippi, and also in the 
Freedmen's Bureau in Washington City ; he was promoted in regular grad- 
ation to the rank of Colonel, and made a Brigadier-General by brevet ; and 
was mustered out of the military service in 1867. According to the records 
of the AVar Department, his services as an officer were highly appreciated 
by a number of the leading General Commanders, and he was recommend- 
ed for a position in the Regular Army. In 1870, after having acquired 
much experience in the affiiirs of the Metropolis, he was elected Comptrol- 
ler of the City of Washington. He is connected with the distinguished 
Whittlesey family of Ohio, although the name is spelled diffisreutly. 



Wilcox, Orlando B. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, about the 

year 1826; and graduated at the West Point Academy in 1846. He took 
an active part in the war with Mexico, as a Lieutenant of Artillery, and 
remained in the United States service until about l''^54, when he resigned 
and entered upon the practice of law, to the study of which, in a quiet way, 
he had previously devoted some attention. Prior to the Rebellion he took 
a lively interest in organizing the IMilitia of Michigan, and when hostilities 
commenced, he offered his sword to the State and was appointed Colonel of 
the First Infantry, and his regiment was the first to report for service at 
Washington from the West. Pie was in command at Alexandria just be- 
fore the battle of Bull Run, and participated in that battle, in which he 
was wounded and taken prisoner, and as such remained in Richmond about 
fifteen months. When General Lorenzo Thomas was negotiating with the 
Confederate officer Robert Ould, for tlie exchange of prisonei's, he made a 
special request in behalf of Colonel AVilcox, to which, in a day or two, the 
Confederate assented. He soon afterwards returned to the army and parti- 
cipated in many of the engagements in Virginia, and was subsequently 
promoted to the rank of Brevet Brigadier and Brevet Major-General of 
Volunteers, for gallant and meritorious services at Spottsylvania and Petei*s- 
burg. He was mustered out in 1866 and appointed an Assessor of Internal 
Revenue at Detroit, but again re-appointed in the army; and at the present 
writing, 1870, he is Colonel of the Twelfth United States Infantry, and sta- 
tioned on Angel Island, Bay of San Francisco, California. As an author 
he published in 1856, " Shoepack RecoUecUons — A Way-side Glimpse of Amer- 
ican Life," and in 1857, another work entitled " Foea, an Army Memoir, 
by Major March." 



WiLKiNS, Ross. He was born in Pennsylvania; educated for the bar 

in that State; and removed to the West at an early day, with a Commis- 
sion in his pocket from President Jackson, as a Federal Judge f )r the Ter- 
ritory of ^lichigan. In 1837, and on several subsequent occasions, he was 
appointed a Regent of the State University. Aside from exerting much 
influence in his judicial capacity, he has always taken an interest in the 
public affairs of the State; and he presided over the first war-meeting held 
in Detroit after tlie commencement of the Rebellion. He was many years 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 499 

ago appointed a Circuit Judge, and remained in office until the summer 
of 1870, when he voluntarily retired from the Bench, aud is now restiug 
from his long judicial labors in the City of Detroit. 



Wilkinson, Morton S. Born in Skoneatclos, Onondaga County, New 

York, January 22, 1819; received an Academical education, working occa- 
sionally upon iiis father's farm; in l'^37 he visited Michigan, hut pushed on 
to Illinois, where he was engaged for two years in the railroad business; 
returned to his native town, studied law, and on being admitted to the bar 
removed to IMichigan again, and settled at Eaton Kapids. In 1>'47 he re- 
moved to Minnesota, and in 1H49, when that Territory was organized, he 
was elected to the Legislature, and he drafted the code of laws for tiiat 
Territory; in 1859 he was elected a Senator in Congress for the term end- 
ing in 1865, serving as Chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Ch\ims, 
and as a member of the Committee on Indian Affairs. He was also a Del- 
egate to the Baltimore Convention of 1S64, aud to the Philadelphia " Loyal- 
ists' Convention" of 18G6. 



Williams, Alpheus S. He was born in Saybrook, Connecticut, Sep- 
tember 20, 1810; and after graduating at Yale College in 18ol, spent two 
years travelling in Europe. In 183G he settled in Detroit, where he began 
the practice of law; was Judge of Probate for Wayne County from 1''40 
to 1844; was next elected Recorder of Detroit, after having been defeated 
as a candidate for INIayor; and from 1843 to 1847 he was the editor and 
proprietor of the Detroit Dailij Advertiser. As a Lieutenant CmjIoucI he 
served through the IMexicaii war, and in 1849 he was api)ointed by Presi- 
dent Taylor Postmaster of Detroit, holding the office until l>f53. On tlie 
breaking out of tlic Rebellion he was appointed a Major General of Michi- 
gan Volunteers, and also President of the State INIilitary Board. He subse- 
quently received from President Lincoln the appointment of Brigadier 
General in the natit»nal army, and was in active service on the Upper Poto- 
mac and in Shenandoah Valley ; was i'ov a time in command of General 
Bank's division at Winchester; commanded a division under General Pope 
at Cedar ^Iountain,on the Rai)pahannock, and at Manassas; after the bat- 
tle of South IMouutain, succeeded General Banks as Corps Comnumder, 
and commanded the twelfth corps at Antietam, and also took an active 
and leading part in the battles of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the 
Atlanta campaign. AVas witli General Sherman in his " march to the sea," 
and at Savannah he was breveted a Major-General for gallant and meri- 
torious services in the Georgia cam}iaign. He was sul)sequent]y assigned 
to duty in Arkansas, and was mustered out of the service in 1806. Soon 
after, he was appointed one of several commissioners to examine and adjust 
the military claims of Missouri. In 1866 he was nominated for Governor 
of IMichigan, but not elected ; and was then appointed Minister Resident to 
the Rej)ublic of San Salvador, in Central America, in which position he 
remained until 1^69, when he returned to Detroit and to private life. 



Williams, John R. He was one of the earliest settlers in Detroit ; a 

merchant by occupation, and for many years took a leading part in all the 



500 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

enterprises calculated to promote the prosperity of INIichigan and its largest 
city. He was elected Mayor of Detroit on six different occasions ; the first 
time in 1824, and the last time in 1^4(5; and he died iu 1854, universally 
lamented by his fellow-citizens of all parties. „ 



Williams, Thomas. He was born in New York in 1815, but subse- 
quently becoming a citizen of IMichigan, where he resided many years, and 
was appointed from that State a cadet at AVest Point, where he graduated 
in 1837. He was at once assigned to duty in the Fourth Artillery, serving 
in Florida, in New York, and in Michigan, with headquarters at Detroit, 
until 1840 ; during the latter year he was Professor of ]Mathen)atics at West 
Point, and was again transferred to Michigan ; from 1844 until 1850 he was 
an Aid-de-camp to General Scott, and was present with him at Vera Cruz, 
Cerro Gordo, Cherubusco, and at the City of Mexico, and for his gallant 
and meritorious services he received two ])r()motions, the second being that 
of Major for gallantry at Chepultepec. From 1 850 until 1852 he was again 
on duty in Michigan, headquarters at Mackinaw; and from 1852 until 
1858 he was on duty in Florida and on the Western frontiers. He entered 
the war for the Union as Major of the Fifth Artillery, and for his services 
in Virginia and Pennsylvania he was made a Brigadier General of Volun- 
teers, and after important services in the Carolinas, the Gulf States, and on 
the Lower Mississippi, he was killed in battle at Baton Rouge August 5, 
1862. His last words, uttered to an Indiana regiment just before he fell, 
were these: '^ Boys, your field officers are all ()one ; I will lead you." He was 
a soldier of rare'bravery and "high character, and was deeply lamented by 
all who knew him. Although General Robertson speaks of him as a native 
of INIichigan, the records of the War Department mention New Y(jrk as 
his native State. 



Williams, William G. He was born in Philadelphia in 1801 ; spent 

his boyhood in England, and went through a course of studies at Exeter; 
graduated at the West Point Academy in 1824; spent two years in Paris, 
studying his profession ; as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry he served ten 
years on topographical duty; as First Lieutenant he surveyed the site for 
a fort in the river Delaware; as Brevet Captain of Staff in the Topograph- 
ical Engineers, lie surveyed the route for a ship-canal around the Falls of 
Niagara in 1835 and '36, performing similar service on Lake Champlain, 
at Ciiarleston, South Carolina, and at Cincinna i, Ohio; in 1837 he went 
upon a military reconnoissancc to the country of the Chcrokees; in 1838 he 
attained tiie rank of Captain of En<^ineers, and during the eight following 
years he was engaged in making triangulations and constructing harbor 
works on Lake Erie, was Superintendent of Survey of the North-western 
Lakes, aijd of the boundary between the States of Wisconsin and jNIichi- 
gan, and in tlic latter State he spent much of his time making his head- 
quarters at Detroit. He served under General Taylor in the war with 
Mexico as Cliief of Engineers, and at the battle of Monterey, in 1S46, he 
was mortally wounded, and died at that place September 21, 1846. His 
dying words' were, " Tell my friends that I fell while in the advance, and in 
the performance of my duty." His literary and scientific acquirements 
were of a high order, and he also possessed an uncommon taste for the flue 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 501 

arts, and was an adept in painting ; and he was very popular among his 
brother officers iu the old army. 



WiNCHELL, Alexander. Born in East, Dutchess County, New York, 

December 31, 1824; after acquiring a primary education, he taught school 
for one or two years, and prepared himself for college; graduated at Amenia 
Seminary in 1844; in 1847 he also graduated at the AVesleyan University; 
then became a teacher of Natural Bcienccs in Pennington Seminary, New 
Jersey; also in the Amenia Seminary; in 1851 assumed the charge of a 
Seminary in Eutaw, Alabama; was made President of the IMasonic Uni- 
versity in Selma of the same State in 18')-']; before the close of (hat year 
be was apjjoiuted Professor of Physics and Engineering in the University 
of Michigan; was transferred to the Chair of Geology, Zoology and Botany, 
in 1855; in 1859 became the editor of the Journal of Educatioti, &c.; in 
1866 Avas made a Professor in the Kentucky University; was made an 
L.L. D. by the Wesleyan University in 1867 ; and in 1869 was appointed 
Director of the Geological Survey of IMichigan. Pie declined a number of 
appointments that were tendered tit him; made a number of presents of 
Scientific Collections to various institutions; and is a member of nearly all 
the Scientific Academies in America, and of several in Europe. lie pub- 
lished in various journals more than two 'hundred scientific papers, and is 
the author of the following works, viz : The Eirst Biennial Report on the 
Ge(dogy of jNIichigan; Report on tlie Grand Traverse Region; a Geologi- 
cal Map of ^lichigan ; Genealogy of the Winchell Family; and Sketches 
of Creation. As to his miscellaneous pul)licati()ns, they are sufficiently 
numerous to nuike many volumes, and all of them are upi)n subjects of vital 
interest to the students and lovers of nature, in many of its departments. 



"WixcnESTER, Jame^!. Although the military career of this officer 

was inglorious, it is our duty to mention him am )ng those who have been 
identified w'ith the Territory of IMichigan. H3 was b )rn in ^Maryland in 
1756; entered the Army as aC.)laael from Tennessee, in March, 1812; was 
made a Brigadier-General iu M.ircli, 1313, and had command of a detach- 
ment under General Harrison, and, as stated in the preceding pages, met 
with g'-eat disaster on the River Raisin iu January, 1813, when he was 
compelled to surrender to tlie British fjrces, and beeams a pris;)ner and 
was carried into Canada and c;)nfine I f )r ab )ut a year in Q lebec, with his 
subordinate officers. Colonels Wm. Lewis and Gearge Madison, lie was 
subsequently on duty in M ibile, Alabama, under General Jackson. In 
March, 1815, he resigned his commission in the Army, and after living in 
retirement iu Tennessee, died there July 27, 1826. 



"Wing, Austin E. He was born in IIa'np-;hire C )unty, Massachu- 
setts; was a Delegate to C ingress from the Territory of Michigan, from 
1828 to 1832; resided at Monroe, and was f )r many years a leading man 
in all its local affairs, holding am m'^ other p >sitious that of United States 
^larshal f)r the S )Uthern District of ^lichigan. He was als ) twice ap- 
pointed a Regent of the State University. He died at Cleveland, Ohio, 



502 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 

August 25, 1 849. He was the father of Talcott E. Wing, a well-known 
lawyer of Monroe; and the brother of Warner Wing, long a leading law- 
yer of the State, and also a resident of Monroe. 



AViNG, Warner. He was born in Marietta, Ohio, September 19, 

1805; graduated at the Northampton Law School, Massachusetts, and re- 
moved to the Territory of Michigan in 1817. He settled on the River 
Raisin, where he lived for many years, actively engaged in practicing the 
profession of law in which he was eminently successful ; was Judge of the 
Circuit Court from 1845 to 1856, during which period it was identical with 
the Supreme Court. Of all the trials over which he presided as Judge, the 
most important, perhaps, was that commonly known as the Railroad Con- 
spiracy Case, in 1851, on which occasion, according to the universal oi)iniou, 
he acquitted himself with very rare ability. The proceedings of this trial 
were published in a volume of more than eight hundred and fifty pages, 
and form a curious episode in the history of railroads, and of the State of 
Michigan. At the present time Judge Wing is the Attorney for the Michi- 
gan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad Company, which position he 
has held for about fourteen years. 



WiSNER, Moses. He was born in Aurelieus, Cayuga County, New 

York, in 1818; received a good education; removed to Michigan in 1839, 
and settled upon a farm near the town of Atlas, Lapeer County; in about 
a year afterwards he removed to Pontiac, and studied law; coming to the 
bar in 1842. In 1843 he was appointed Prosecuting Attorney for Lapeer 
County; but in l'^44 resumed the practice of his profession, and continued 
in it until 185S, when he was elected Governor of the State. In 1862 he 
was appointed a Colonel in the Volunteer Army, and was assigned to the 
command of the Michigan Twenty-second; and while on his way to the 
seat of war, he was prostrated by sickness in Lexington, Kentucky, where 
he died, January 5, 1863. He was a candidate for Circuit Judge in 1852, 
but was defeated; took little interest in politics, was a man of fine mind, a 
good friend, and most worthy citizen. 



Witherell, Benjamin F. H. He was the son of James Witherell, 

and was during all his mature life identified with the Territory and State 
of Michigan. He was a lawyer by profession, long a successful practitioner 
in Detroit, and held a prominent judgesiiip for many years. He was called 
by his intimate friends a " Walking Historical Dictionary of Detroit," and 
published a series of Historical Recollections, of great value and interest; 
and his death was lamented as a public calamity. His last judicial posi- 
tion was that of Judge of the Tliird Circuit Court. He took an active in- 
terest in all ])iiblic affairs during the Rebellion, and Wiis the originator, and 
chosen President of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument Association when 
organized; and it was while deeply engaged in maturing its plans tliat he 
died in Detroit, June 2(), 1867, giving to the patriotic work the last houi-s 
of his life. He was also appointed, on several occasions, a Regent of the 
State University. 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. 503 

WiTiiERELL, James In 1808, the small but highly cultivated society 

of Detroit was made happy by the advent of James Witherell. He was a 
native of Vermont, received a liberal education, and adopted the profession 
of law. From 1798 to 1803 he served in the Legislature of Vermont; the 
two following years, as a county Judge; was a State Councellor from 1803 
to 1807; was elected to Congress in the latter year, but before the cx])ira- 
tion of liis term, was appointed a Federal Judge in the Territory of Michi- 
gan, in which position lie continued until 1828, when he was appointed Sec- 
retary of the Territory ; and he resided iu Detroit until his death, which 
occurred iu that City,' January 9, 1838. He was a man of strong native 
powers of mind, always took a special interest in the local affairs of Detroit, 
and left to his accomplished son, long a prominent lawyer in Detroit, a val- 
uable collection of papers bearing upon the history of that city and the 
State of IMichigan. An admirable portrait of him may be found in Shel- 
don's " Early History of Michigan." 



"WiTHEY, Solomon L. He was born in St. Albans, Vermont, April 

21, 1820 ; removed to Ohio in 1835, where he obtained a good English 
education; and in 1838 he removed to Michigan and located at Grand 
Kapids. In 1839 he began the study of law, and came to the bar in 1844; 
and becoming a partner of the late'Chief Justice IMartin, continued with 
him until he was called to the bench, and in practice until 18G3. In 1848 he 
was elected Judge of Probate, and held the office four years; in 1860 he 
was elected to the State Senate, and took an active part in promoting effect- 
ive legislation for putting down the Rebellion; and he was appointed by 
President Lincoln United States District Judge for the western district of 
Michigan, in which office he still continues. During the illness of Judge 
Willson,of Northern Ohio, he held the United States Courts at Cleveland; 
and for a year preceding the resignation of Judge Wilkins he presided over 
the courts of Eastern iMichigan. In December, 1869, he received from 
President Grant a commission as Judge of the Sixth United Slates Judicial 
Circuit; but his duty to his family compelled him to decline the hcjuor. 
For that position he was warndy supported by the leading members of the 
bar in Michigan and Northern Ohio, and of all political })arties, and that 
fact alone made him reluctant to decline. In the way of local positions, 
we may add that Judge Withey is President of the First National Bank 
of Grand Kapids, He is a man of culture ; and as a citizen, a lawyer 
and judge occupies a leading position in the State. 



WooDBRiDGE, WiLLiAM. Bom in Norwich, Connecticut, August 20, 

1780; and his father becoming one of the earliest emigrants to the North- 
west Territory, he removed to JMarietta in 1791. He received his earliest 
education in Connecticut; studied law at Litchfield, Connecticut, and was 
admitted to the bar in Ohio in 1806. In 1807 he was elected to the Assem- 
bly of Ohio ; in 1808 was Prosecuting Attorney for his county, which office 
he hold until 1814, and during the same period he was also a member of 
the State Senate, In 1814 he received from President iNIadison, unexpect- 
edly, the appointment of Secretary of the Territory of Michigan, and re- 
moved to Detroit ; and in 1819 he was elected the first Delegate from Mich- 
igan to Congress, where he was very active in promoting the interests of his 



504 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OP MICHIGAN. 

constituents. In 1828 he was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of 
Michigan Territory, and held the office four years; in 1S35 he Avas a mem- 
ber of the Convention called to form a State Constitution; in 1837 he was 
elected to the State Senate of Michigan ; in 1839 he was chosen Governor 
of the State ; and he was a Senator in Congress from 1841 to 1847. He 
was a working member on many important committees, and his reports and 
speeches were numerous ; and Daniel Webster, in a note to his speech in 
defence of the Ashburton Treaty, attributed to Mr. Woodbridge the first 
suggestion that was ever made to him for inserting in that treaty a provi- 
sion for the surrender of fugitives, under certain circumstances, upon the 
demand of foreign governments. For many years before his death he lived 
in retirement at Detroit, devoting himself to his books and the pleasures of 
horticulture, for Avhich he had a special fi)ndness. Died October 20, 1861. 
In 1'- 67 a small volume was published, entitled the " Life of William Wood- 
bridge," from the pen of the compiler of this work. Among the n)any 
opinions expressed of Governor Woodbridge by leading men, soon after his 
death, were the f)llo\ving: That he was an eminent jurist and constitu- 
tional lawyer ; the oldest and most distinguished member of the Detroit 
bar ; eminently a man of principle and honor ; a faithful and honored pub- 
lic servant ; had a highly cultivated and refined taste, and left to his chil- 
dren the rich legacy of a spotless name. 



Woodward, Augustus B. He was a native of Virginia ; emigrated 

to Michigan in 1805, when he was appointed a judge of the Territory, which 
honorable position he held until lo24. He was the author of a " Code of 
Laws," which bears his name. In 1824 he was appointed a Judge for the 
Territory of Florida, and died there after a service of three years. He was 
the man, moreover, who, in 1812, had a resolution adopted in the Legisla- 
ture prohibiting the wearing of apparel made from English goods. The 
colleagues of Judge Woodward on the bench were Frederick Bates and 
John Griffin, in regard to whom the Avriter has been unable to obtain any 
biograi^hic particulars. We have seen it stated that Judge Woodward, in 
conjunction with John Steward and William W. Ilarwood, founded the 
town of Ypsilanti in 1825 ; but if he went to Florida in 1824, the state- 
ment cannot be true. 



FOURTH PART. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS 



2 F * 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 



THE CExN'SUS OF MICHIGAN IN 1870. 

( Officially furnished for this work by the Census Bureau.) 

In the preceding pages the Compiler has submitted two or three para- 
graj)hs re.-ipecting the Census of Michigan for 1870, wliicli were obtained 
from local authorities, or from the INIarshals of the United States, before 
making their final rejjorts to the Government. It is now his privilege, how- 
ever, through tlie kindness of the Superintendent of the Census Bureau, Mr. 
Francis A. Walker, to lay before the reader a statement of the population 
of the State, respecting the authenticity of which there cannot be any 
doubt. In doing this, the population of each County will be given for 
1870, in regular order, with a corresponding column exhibiting the popula- 
tion of the same Counties in 1S60; and there will also be added to tliis list, 
the leading cities of the State, with the number of their inhabitants, exclu- 
sive of the suburbs or villages which may be identified with them : 



Countiea. 




1860. 


1870. 


Counties. 
Iosco. 


I860. 
175 


1870. 


Alcona, 




183 


696 


3,163 


Allegan, 




16,087 


32,106 


Isabella 


1,443 


4,113 


Alpena, 




290 


2,756 


Jackson, 


26.671 


36,050 


Antrim, 




179 


1.985 


Kalamazoo, 


24,646 


32,054 


Barry, 




13,853 


22,202 


Kalcasca, 


No return. 


424 


Bay, 




3,104 


15.900 


Kent, 


30,716 


50,403 


Benzie, 


No report. 


2,184 


Keewenaw, 


No report. 


4,205 


Berrien, 




•22,.'i78 


35,104 


Lake, 


No report. 


548 


Branch, 




20,981 


26.226 


Lapeer, 


14,754 


21,345 


Callioun, 




29,r,64 


36,569 


Leelenaw, 


2,158 


4,816 


Cass, 




17,721 


21,094 


Lenawee, 


38,112 


45,596 


Charlevoix, 


No 


report. 


1,724 


Livingston, 


16,851 


19,336 


Cheboygan, 




517 


2,196 


Mackinaw, 


1,938 


1,716 


ChippewH, 




1,G03 


1,689 


Macomb, 


22,843 


27,616 


Clare, 


No 


report. 


366 


Manitou, 


1,042 


891 


Clinton, 




13,916 


22,845 


Manistee, 


975 


6,074 


Crawford, (no report.) 






Marquette, 


2,825 


14,234 


Delta, 




1,172 


2,441 


Mason, 


831 


3,264 


Eaton, 




16,476 


25.172 


Mecosta, 


970 


5,643 


Emmett, 




1,149 


1,211 


Menominee, 


No report. 


1,892 


Genesee, 




22,498 


33,900 


Midland, 


787 


3,285 


Gladwin, 




14 


No report. 


Missaukee, 


No report. 


130 


Grand Traverse, 




1,286 


4,443 


Monroe, 


21,593 


27,483 


Gratiot, 




4,042 


11,810 


.Montcalm, 


3,963 


13,629 


Hillsdale, 




25,675 


31,684 


Montmorency, (no 


report.) 




Houfrhton, 




9.234 


13,879 


Muskegon, 


3,947 


14.895 


Huron, 




3,165 


9,049 


Newaygo, 


2,760 


7.294 


ln>riiara, 




17,435 


25.268 


Oakland, 


38,261 


m 40.867 


Ionia, 




16,682 


27,679 


Oceana, 


1,816 


7,222 



508 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 



Counties. 1860. 


1870. 


Counties 
Schoolcraft, 


1860. 
(not known 


1870. 


Ogemaw, No report. 


12 




Ontonagon, 4,568 


2.845 


to be com 


plete) 


78 


799 


Osceola, 27 


2,093 


Sliiavvasse, 




12,349 


20,858 


Oscod t, No report. 


70 


St. Joseph, 




21,262 


26.276 


Otsego, (no report.) 




Tuscola, 




4,886 


13.714 


Ottawa, 13,215 


26,649 


Van Burcn, 




15,224 


2SS-iS 


Presqiie Isle, 26 


355 


Washtenaw, 




35,686 


41,434 


Roscommon, (no report.) 




Wayne, 




75,547 


119.041 


Saginaw, 12,693 


39,097 


Wexford, 




No report. 


650 


Saint Clair, 26,604 


36.661 










Sanilac, 7,599 


14,562 


Total population 


749,113 


1,184,310 



POPULATION OF LEADING CITIES. 



Ciiies. 


1860. 


lb7u. 


Cities. 


1860. 


1870. 


Detroit, 


45,619 


79,580 


Battle Creek, 


3,509 


5.831 


Grand Rapids, 


8,085 


16,507 


Ypsilauti, 


3,955 


5,478 


Jackson, 


4,799 


11,400 


Flint, 


2,950 


5,386 


East Saginaw, 


3,001 


11.350 


Lansing, 


3,074 


5,241 


Kalamazoo, 


6,070 


9,181 


Monroe, 


3,892 


5,086 


Adrian, 


6,213 


8,438 


Marshall, 


3,736 


4.925 


Saginaw, 


1,699 


7,460 


Pontiac, 


2,575 


4,867 


Ann Arbor, 


5,097 


7,363 


Niles, 


2 826 


4,630 


Muskegon, 


1,450 


6,002 


Coldwater, 


2,905 


4,381 


Port Iluron, 


4,371 


5,973 









STATE OFFICERS OF MICHIGAN FROM 1836 TO 1870. 
GOVERNORS. 

Territorial Governors: William Hull. 1805; Lewis Cass, 1814; George 
B. Porter, 1829; Stevens T. Mason, 1834; J. T. Horner ex officio, 1835. 

State Governors: Stevens T. Mason, 1S3G; AVilliam AVoodbridge, 1840; 
J. Wright Gordon (Acting,) 1841; John S.Barry, 1842; Alpheus Felch, 
1846; AVilliam L. Greenly (Acting,) 1847; Epaphroditus Ransom, 1848; 
John S. Barry, 1850; Robert McClelland, 1852; Andrew Parsons (Acting,) 
1S53; KinsleyS. Bingham, 1855; Moses Wisner, 1859; Au.stin Blair, 1861; 
Henry II. Cropo, I8(j5; and Henry P. Baldwin, 1869, re-elected and now 
iu office. 

LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS. 

Edward Mundy, 1835; J.Wright Gordon, 1840; Origen D. Richard- 
son, 1842; William L. Greenly, 1847; WillianiM. Fenton, 1848; William 
L. Greenly, 1849; William M. Fenton, 1851; Andrew Parsons, 1^53; 
George A. Coe, 1855; Edmund B. Fairfield, 1S59; James Birnoy, 1861 ; 
Joseph R. Williams (Acting,) 1861; Henry T. Backus (Acting,) 1862; 
Charles S. May, 1863; Ebenezer O. Grosvenor, 1865; Dwight May, 1867; 
and Morgan Bates, 1869, re-elected and now iu office. 

SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 

Ezra Convis, 1835; Charles W. Whipple, 1886; Kinsley S. Bingham, 
1838; Henry Acker, 1840; Philo C. Fuller, 1^^41; Kinsley S. Bingham, 
1842; Robert McClelland, 1743; Edwin II. Lathrop, 1844; Alfred H. 
Hanscctm, 1845; Isaac E. Crary, 1846; George W. Peck, 1847; Alexander 
W. Bucl, 1848; Lcander Chaprtum, 1^49; Silas G. Harris, 1850; Jeffer- 
son G. Tliurber, 1851; Daniel G. C^uackenboss, 1853; Cyrus Lovell, 1855; 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 509 

Byron G. Stout, 1857; Henry A. Shaw, 1859; Dexter Miissev, ISGl ; Sul- 
livan i\I. Ciitcheon, 1803 ; Gilbert E. Ketul, 1865; P. Deau Warner, 1807; 
and Jouatlmu J. Woodman, 1869. 

SECRETARIES OF STATE. 

Koutzinirritchette, 1835; Randolph Manning, 1838; Thomas Rowland, 
1840; R..b(M-t P. Eldridse, 1842 to J 846; Gideon O. Whittemore, 1.^46; 
Geortre W. Peck, 1848; Geor<,'e Rodfield, 18.')0, (resiirned April 11, 1850;) 
Charles 11. Taylor, 1850 to 1852; William Graves, 1852; John McKinney, 
1854 to lS58i Nelson G. Mk-H, 1858; James P. Porter, 1860 to 1866; 
Oliver L. Spaulding, 1866 to 1871 ; Daniel Striker, 1871. 

STATE TREASURERS. 

Henry Howard, 1836-9; Peter Desnryer, 1839 ; Robert Stuart, 1840; 
Geor-e'W. Jermain, 1^41; John J. Adam, 1842; George Rcdfield. 1845; 
George B. Cooper, 1 ^46-50 ; Banard Whittemore. 1850-4; Silas M. Holmes, 
1854-8; John .AIcKinney, 1^5^ ; John Owen, 1860-6; Ebenezer O. Gros- 
venor, 1866-71 ; Victory P. Collier, 1871. 

ATTORNEYS GEXERAL. 

Daniel Le Roy, 1836; Peter ^Morev, 1^37-41 ; Zcphaniah Piatt, l'^41 ; 
Elon Farnsworth, 1843; Henrv N. Walker. 1845; Edward i\rundv, 1-47; 
George V. N. Lothrop, 1848-51; William Hall, 1851-4; Jacob IM. How- 
ard, 1854-60; Charles Upson, 1860; Albert Williams, 1S62-66; William 
L. Stoughton, 1863; Dwight May, re-electel, ami now in office, ls()8-7l. 

AUDITORS GEJJERAL. 

Robert Abbott, 1836-9; Heiuy Howard, 1839 ; Eurotas P. Hastings, 
1840; Alpheus Felch, 1842; Henry, L. AVhipple, (to fill vacancy,) 1-42; 
Charles G. Hammond, 1842-5; John J. Adam, 1845; Digby' V. Bell, 
1846-8; John J. Adam, 1848-50; John Swegles, jr., 1850; John Swegles, 
18.52; Whitney Jones, 1854-8; Daniel L. Case, 1853; Langford G. Berry, 
1^)0; Einil Anueke, 1862-6; William Humphrey, re-elected and now in 
office, lb66-71. 



THE JUDICIARY OF THE ST.\TE OF MICIIIOAX IX 18Y0. 

Circuit Court of the United States. — Sixth Circuit, Noah H. Swayne, of 
Ohio; H. H. Emmons, of jNIichigan. 

Di-ilrid Court of 3fichi(jan. — John W. Lonrrvear, of Lansing; Solomon 
L. Withey, of Grand Rapids. 

Supreme Court of Michigan. — James V. Campbell, Detroit, Chief Justice ; 
Isaac P. Christiancy, Monroe ; Benjamin F. Graves, Battle Creek ; Thomas 
M. Cooley, Ann Arbor. 

Circuit Court of Michigan. — Daniel L. Pratt, Hillsdale ; David Black- 
niau, Cassopolis ; Jared Patchin, Detroit ; Samuel Higby, Jackson ; George 
Woodrutt; ^Marshall ; James S. Dewey, Pontiac ; Josiah Turner, Owosso ; 
Louis S. Lovell, Ionia; Charles R. Brown, Kalamazoo; Jabez G. Suther- 
land, Saginaw City ; Daniel Goodwin, Detroit; James O'Grady, ^Manpiette; 
Jonathan G. Ramsdell, Traverse City ; A. II. (iiddings, Newaygo ; Charles 
Upson, Cold water ; William T. ^Mitchell, Port Huron. 



510 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS OF MICHIGAN FROM 1837 to 1869, 

1837 — Martin Van Buren, elected. Vice President, Richard M. John- 
son. — Daniel LeRoy, William H. Hoeg, David C. McKinstry. 

1841 — William Henry Harrison, elected. Vice President, John Tyler. — 
Thomas J. Drake, H. G. Wells, J. Van Fossen. 

1845 — James K. Polk, elected. Vice President, George M. Dallas. — 
Lewis Beaufait, George Eedfield, P. S. Paulding, Charles P. Bush, Samuel 
Axford. 

1849 — Zachary Taylor, elected. Vice President, Millard Fillmore. — 
John S. Barry, L. M. Mason, Rix Robinson, J. G. Thurber, William T. 
Howell. 

185o — Franklin Pierce, elected. Vice President, William R. King. — 
John S. Barry, D. J. Campau, A. Edwards, William McCauley, Salmer 
Sharpe, John Stockton. 

18o7 — James Buchanan, elected. Vice President, John C. Breckin- 
ridge. — F. C. Beaman, O. Johnson, H. Chamberlain, W. H. Whitney, C. H. 
Miller, Thomas J. Drake. 

1861 — Abraham Lincoln, elected. Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin. — 
Hezekiah G. Wells, Rufus Plosmer, George W. Lee, Edward Dorsch, Phi- 
letus Hayden, Augustus Coburn. 

1865 — Abraham Lincoln, re-elected. Vice President, Andrew John- 
son. — Robert R. Beecher, Marsh Giddings, Thomas D. Gilbert, O. D. Con- 
ger, F. Walldorf, George W. Back, Christian Eberbach, J. Eugene Tenuey. 

1867 — Ulysses S. Grant, elected. Vice President, Schuyler Colfax. — 
Charles M. Crosswell, John Burt, William Daeltz, Charles W. Chisbee, 
Charles T. Gorham, Byron M. Cutcheon, Giles Hubbard, Michael T. C. 
Pleasuer. 



OFFICERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FROM 1837 TO 1870. 
Presidents of the Board of Regents. 

Until the adoption of the Revised Constitution, the Governor of the 
State was ex-officlo President of the Board. That instrument conferred 
upon the Regents the power, and under it their duty, to elect a President 
of the University, who should be ex-officlo President of their Board. Under 
this power, the tirst President was chosen in 1852 : 

Stevens T. Mason, 1837 ; William Woodbridge, M. A., 1840; James AVright 
Gordon, M. A., 1841 ; John S. Barry, 1842; Alpheus Felch, 1846 ; William 
L. Greenly, 1847 ; Epajjliroditus Ransom, 1848 ; John S. Barry, 1850 ; Rev. 
Henry Philip Tappan, D. D. LL. D., 1852; Rev. Erastus Otis Haven, D. 
D. LL. D., 1863 to 1869. 

Regents Ez-officio. 

Until the Revised Constitution took effect, the Lieutenant-Governor, the 
Chancellor, and the Justices of the Supreme Court, for the time being, were 
ex-officio members of the Board of Regents : 

Lieutenant Governors. — Edward Mundy, 1837 ; J. Wright Gordon, 1840; 
Origen D. Richardson, 1842; William L. Greenly, 1846; William M. 
Fenton, 1848 to 1852. 

(Jhancellors. — Elon Farnsworth, 1837 ; Randolph Manning, 1842; Elon 
Farnsworth, 1846 to 1847, when the ofiice was abolished. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 511 

Justices of the Supreme Court. 

From 1837 : William A. Fletcher, Chief Justice; resip^cd 1842. George 
Morrell, Associate Justice; promoted, 1842. Epai)hroditus Raii.som, Asso- 
ciate Justice. Charles W. Whipple, Associate Justice; appointed, 1837. 
George ^lorrell, Chief Justice; from 1842, vice Fletcher. Alpheus Fclch, 
Associate Justice ; from l'^42, vice Morrell. 

From 1843: Epaphroditus Ransom, Chief Justice; resigned, 1845. 
Charles W. Whipple, Associate Justice ; promoted, 1848. Alpheus Felch, 
Associate Justice ; resigned, 1845. Daniel Goodwin, Associate Justice ; re- 
signed, 184G. Charles W. Whipple, Chief Justice; from 1848, r/ce Ran- 
som. Warner Wing, Associate Justice; from 1845, vice Felch. George 
Miles, Associate Justice; from 1846, vice Goodwin. Sanford ]\I. Green, 
Associate Justice; from 1848, vi'ce Whipple. Edward Mundy, Associate 
Justice ; from 1848 — new appointment. 

From 1850: Charles W. Whipple, Chief Justice; Warner Wing, Asso- 
ciate Justice; Sanford M. Greene, Associate Justice; Abner Pratt, Associ- 
ate Justice; Edward ]\Iundy, Associate Justice ; died 1851. George Mar- 
tin, Associate Justice ; from 1851, vice Mundy. 

Regents by Appointment. 

From the organization of the University till 1852, the Regents were ap- 
pointed by the Senate, on the nomination of the Governor, to hold office 
for four years, three being api)ointed annuallv : 

John Norvcll, 1837 ; Ross Wilkins, M. A.,'l837 ; John J. Adam, 1837; 
Lucius Lyon, 1837 ; Isaac E. Crary, M. A., 1837 ; Thomas Fitzgerald, 

1837, (resigned in 1837 ; ) John F. Porter, {;vice T. Fitzgerald, 1S37, resigned in 
1838;) Jonathan Kearsley, M. A., 1838, {vice J. F. Porter;) Samuel 
Denton, M. D., 1827 ; Gideon O. Whittemore, 1827; Michael Hoffman, 
1827, (resigned in 1838;) Gurdon C. Leach, 1838, {viceU. Hoffman;) 
ZinaPitchcr, M. D., 1837; Henry R. Scho.)lcraft, LL. D., 1837; Rol)ert 
McClelland, 1837, (resigned in 1837;) Seba Murphy, 1837, {x-ice R. :\IcClcl- 
land, resigned in 1839 ;j J()sei)h W. Brown, 1.^30, {vice Murphv, resigned 
in 1S40;) Daniel Hudson, M. D., 1^40, {vice J. W. Brown;) John J. Adam, 

1838, (resigned in 1S40;) John Norvel, 1838, (resigned in 1839;) Ross 
Wilkins, M. A.^ 183"<. 

Charles C. Trowbridge, 1837, {vice J. Norvell;) IMichael A. Patterson, 
M. D., 1>^40; {vice J. J. Adam ;) Lucius Lyon, 1S39, (resigned in 1-^39;) 
Jonathan Kearsley, j\[. A., 1^39 ; Isaac E. Crarv, M. A., 1839 ; Rev. George 
Duffield, D. D., 1839, {vice L. Lyon;) Wilfiam Draper, M. A., 1840; 
Francis J. Iligginson, M. D., 1>^40, (resigned in 1841 ;) Samuel AV. Dexter, 
M. A., 1840, (resigned in 1^41 ;) Rev. Oliver C. Comstock, A. IM. :M. D., 
1841, {vice S. W. Dexter, resigned in 1843 ;) John Owen, 1841, {vice F. J. 
Higginson ;) Lewis Cass, LL. D., 1843, {vice O. C. Comstock :) Zina Pitcher, 
M. D., 1841; :\Iartin Kundig, i\I. A., 1841; George Goodman, 1841, (re- 
signed in 1<'^43;) Dewitt C. Walker, 1843, {vice G. Goodman, resigned in 
ls44 ;) Rev. Robert R. Kellogg, M. A., 1844, {vice I). C. Walker;) Rev. 
Andrew M. Fitch, 1842; Randolph Manning, 1842, (resigned in 1842;) 
Rev. Elisha Crane, 1842; William A. Fletcher, 1.^42, {vice R. Manning;) 
Jonathan Kearsley, 1843; Isaac E. Crary, 1843, (resigned in 1843;) Rev. 
Marvin Allen, 1n43; Alexander H. Rediield, M. A., 1844, (wee J. E. 
Crary;) Edward ^lundv, 1844; John Owen, 1844; Rev. George Duffield, 
D. D., 1844 ; Zina PitJher, M. D., 1845 ; Austin E. Wing, M. A., 1845; 



512 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

Minot T. Lane, 1845 ; Rev. Charles C. Taylor, M. A., 1846 ; Rev. Elijah 
H. Pilcher, M. A., 1846 ; Elon Farnsworth, M. A., 1846 ; Jonatliau Kears- 
ley, 1847; Alexander H. Redticld, M. A., 1847 ; Rev. Marvin Allen, 1847 ; 
Rev. John G. Atterbury, M. A., 1848 ; Justus Goodwin, M. A., 1848; Ben- 
jamin F. H. Witherell, 1848 ; Ziua Pitcher, M. D., 1849 ; Austin E. Wing, 
M. A., 1849, (resigned in 1850;) Edwin M. Cust, M. A., 1849, (resigned in 
1849 ;) Epaphroditus Ransom, 1850, (vice E. M. Cust ;) Rev. Gustavus L. 
Foster, 1850, (vice A. E. Wing;) Robert McClelland, 1850; Elon Farns- 
worth, M. A., 1850 ; Rev. Elijah H. Pilcher, 1850 ; Jonathan Kearsley, 
1851 ; Alexander H. Redfield, M. A., 1851 ; Rev. Marvin Allen, 1851. 

The amended Constitution of 1851 provided for the election of a Regent 
in each Senatorial District, to hold office for the period of six years. 

Regents by Election. 

From 1852 to 1857, 1st District, Michael A. Patterson, M. D; 2d Dis- 
trict, Edward S.Moore; 3d District, Elon Farnsworth; 4th District, James 
Kingsley; 5th District, Elisha Ely ; 6th District, Charles H. Palmer, M. 
A.; 7th District, Andrew Parsons, (deceased 1854;) Henry Horatio Nor- 
throp, M. A., {vice A. Parsons;) 8tli District, William Upjohn, M. D. 

From 1856 to 1863,1st District, Benjamin L.Baxter; 2d District, J. 
Eastman Johnson; 3d District, Levi Bishop; 4th District, Donald Mc- 
Intyre; 5th District, E. Lakin Brown; 6th District, George W. Pack, 
(resigned in 1858;) Henry Whiting, {vice G. W. Pack ;_) 7th District, Luke 
H. Parsons; 8th District, Rev. John Van Vleck, (resigned in 1>'58;) Oli- 
ver L. Spaulding, {vice J. Van Vleck ;) 9th District, William M. Ferry, 
1S58; 10th District, George Bradley, 1858. 

By an amendment of the Constitution, adopted in 1862, it was provided 
that eight Regents should be elected in 1863, to enter upon their office in 
1864; two for two years, two for four years, two for six years, and two 
for eight years; and that at every election of a Justice of the Supreme 
Court thereafter, there should be elected two Regents for eight years. In 
accordance with this provision, the following were elected, and the term 
of their office was determined by lot, according to law. 

Edward C. Walker, re-elected, term expires 1865; George Willard, re- 
elected, term expires 1865; Thomas D. Gilbert, re-elected, term expires 
1867; Thomas J. Joslin, term expires 1867; Henry C. Knight, term ex- 
pires 1869 ; Hiram A. Burt, Joseph Estabrook, term expires lf^'69 ; J. East- 
man Johnson, term expires 1869 ; Alvah Sweetser (deceased 1864,) term 
expires 1871 ; Syrus M. Stockwell, M. D., of Port" Huron, term expires 
1871 ; James A. Sweezey, term expires 1871 ; Walker, Willard, Gilbert, 
and Burt have been re-elected ; Jonas H. McGowan, elected in 1870, term 
expires 1878. 

Secretaries. 

Charles W.Whipple, 1837; Anthony Ten Eyck, 1839; James Valentine 
Campbell, M. A.; Eben N. Wilcox, 1845; O. W. Moore, 1852; Edward 
R. Chase, 1853; Prof Alexander Winchell, JNI. A., 1854; John Livingston 
Tappau, M. A., 1856 ; Daniel Leonard Wood, M. A., 1858. 

Treasurers. 

Charles C. Trowbridge, 1837 ; John Norton, Jr., 1838 ; H. K. Sanger, 1839 ; 
A. H.Sibley, 1>41; John J. Adam, 1844; Digby V. Bell, 1846; John J. 
Adam, 184« ; John M. Chase, l^o\; Henry Wolsey Welles, 1859; Volney 
Chapiu, 1860; Donald Mclutyre, 1864. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 513 

Librarian!^. 

Rev. Henry Colclazer, lSo7; Prnf. George Palmer Williams, LL. D., 
1845; Prof. Abram Sairer. M. D., 1848; Prof. Andrew Ten Brook, I\I. A., 
1850 ; Prof Daniel D. Whedon, D. D., 1 851 ; Prof Lonis Fasquelle, LL. D., 
1852; John Livingston Tappan, M. A., 1856; Datus Chase Brooks, M. A., 
1863. 

Superintendents of Puhlie Instruction. 

John D. Pierce, 1888; Franklin Sawver, Jr., 1.^41 ; Oliver C. Comstoek, 
M. D., 1848; Ira ]^[ahc^v, M. A., 1845 ; Francis W. Shearman, M. A. Is49; 
Ira Mavhew, M. A., 1855; John M. Gregory, M. A., 1858; Oramel Hos- 
ford, 1865. 

Presidents of the University. 

Rev. Henry Philip Tappan, D. D., LL. D., 1852; Rev. Erastus Otis 
Haven, D. IX, LL. D., 1863 to 1869. 

I. Department op Literature, Science, and the Arts. 
rrofessors. 

Asa Gray, M. D., Botany and Zoo'ojry, 1833 to 1842. 

Dougli\ss Houghton, M." A., M. D , Clieinistry und Mineralogy, 1838 to 1845. 

Rev. George I'almer Williams, LL. D., Ancient Linjcaages, 1841. 

Rev. Joseph Whiting. M. A., Ancient Langunges, 1841 to 1845. 

Rev. George Palmer Williams, LL. D., Mathematics ami Physics, 1841 to 1852. 

Abrani vSager, M. D., Botany and Z )ology, 184'2 to 185!). 

Rev. Edward Thomson, D. I)., LL. D.. Moral and (ntellectnal Philosophy, 1843 to 1844. 

Rev. Andrew Ten Brook, M. A., Moral and Intellectual Philosophy, 1844 to 1851. 

Rev. John Holmes Agnew, D. D., Ancient fjimguages and Literature, 1845 to 1852. 

Rev. Daniel D. Whedon, D. D., Elisfory and Rhetoric, 1845 to- 1852. 

Silas Hamilton Douglass, M. A., M. D.. Chemistry and Mineralogy, 184G to 1848. 

Louis Fasquelle, LL. D., Modern Lunguages and Literature, 1846 to 18G2. 

Silas Hamiltoa Douglass, M. A., M. D., Chemistry, Geology, and Mineralogy, 1848 to 
1855. 

Rev. William S. Curtis, D. D., Moral and Intellectual Philosophy, 1851 to 1852. 

Rev. Henry Philip Tappan, D. D., LL. D., Philoso[)hy, 1852 to 1803. 

Rev. George Palmer Williams, LL. D., Natural Philosophy and Mathematics, 1852 to 
1854. 

James Robmson Boise, M. A., Ancient Languages, Greek Language and Literature. 1852. 

Rev. ErRRtus Otis Haven, D. D., LL. D., Latin Language and Literature, 1852 to 1854. 

Alvah Bradish, M. A., Fine Arts, 1852 to 1863. 

Rev. George Palmer Williams, LL. D., Mathematics, 1854 to 1863. 

Alexander Winchell, M. A., Physics and Civil Engineering, 1854 to 1855. 

Rev. Charles Fo.\, .M. A., Theoretical and Practical Agriculture, 1854. 

Francis Bruunow, Ph. D., Astronoiaiy and Director of the Observatory, 1854 to 1858. 

Rev. Erastus Otis Haven, D. D., LL.'D., History and English Literature, 1854 to 1856. 

Henry Simmons Frieze, M. A., Latin Language and Literature, 1854. 

Silas Hamilton Douglass, M. A., M. D., (Chemistry and Mineralogy, 1855. 

Alexander Winchell, M. A., Geology, Zoology, and Botuiy, 1855. 

William G. Peck, M A., Physics and Civil and Mining Engiueering, 1855 to 1857. 

William P. Trowbridge, M. A., Mathaiuatics, 1856 to 1857. 

Andrew Dickson White, M. A., History and English Literature, 1857. 

Francis Brunnow, Ph. D., Director of the Observatory, 18"i[) to 1860. 

Devolson Wood, M. A., Physics and Civil Engineering, 1«59 to 1860. 

James Craig Watson, M. .\., Astronomy, 1859 to 1860. 

Devolson Wood, M. A., Civil Engineering, 1860. 

James Craig Watson, M. A., Physics, 1860 to 1863. 

Francis Brunnow, Ph. D., Astronomy and Director of the Observatory, 1860 to 1863. 

Thomas Mclntyre Cooley, Constitutional Law, 1861. 

Edward Payson Evans, Ph. D., Modern Languages and Literature, 1863. 

Rev. Erastus Otis Haven, D. D., LL. D., Rhetoric and English Literature, 1863. 
2 G 



514 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

Rev. Lucius Delison Chapin, M. A.., Moral and Intellectual Philosophy, 1863. 
James Craig Watson, M. A., Astronomy and Director of the Observatory, 1863. 
Rev. George Palmer Williams, LL. D., Physics, 18G3. 
Edward Oluey, M. A., Mathematics, 1863. 

Assistant Professors. 

Datus Chase Brooks, M. A., Rhetoric and English Literature, 1857 to 1863. 
John Emery Clark, M. A., Mathematics, 1857 to 1859. 
Alfred Du Bois, M. A., Chemistry, 1857 to 1863. 
Devolson Wood, M. A., Civil Engineering, 1857 to 1859. 

Instructors. 

Jonathan Beach, 1843 to IJ'45. 

Silas Hamilton Douglass, M. A., M. D., Chemistry, 1844 to 1846. 

Burrett A. Smith, B. A., 1845 to 1847. 

Alfred Du Bois, M. A., Chemistry, 1855 to 1857. 

Datus Chase Brooks, .VI. A., Rhetoric and English Literature, 1856 to 1857. 

James Craig Watson, M. A., Assistant in the Observatory, 1857 to 1859. 

Adam Knight Spcnce, M. A., Greek, 1858 to 1859. 

Fitch Reed Williams, B. A., Latin, 1858 to 1860. 

James Craig Watson, M. A., Mathematics, 1859 to 1860. 

Adam Knight Spence, M. A., Greek and French, 1859 to 1860. 

Cleveland Abbe, B. A., Physics and Civil Engineering, 1859 to 1860. 

Adam Knight Spence, M. A., Greek, Latin, and French, 1860 to 1863. 

Preston B. Rose, Chemistry, 1861 to 1863. 

Charles Kendall Adams, M. A., History, 1862 to 1863. 

William H. Bruckner, Chemistry, 1862 to 1863. 

Edward Payson Evans, Ph. D., Modern Languages and Literature, 1862 to 1863. 

Adam Knight Spence, M. A., Greek and French, 1863. 

Charles Kendall Adams, M A., History and l^atin, 1863. 

Albert Benjamin Prescott, M. D., Chemistry, 1863. 

Henry Sylvester Cheever, B. A., Chemistry, 1863. 

Dexter Valverd Dean, Chemistry, 1863. 

Allien Jeremiah Curtis, M. A., Rhetoric and Mathematics, 1863. 

Elmore Horton Wells, B. S., Civil Engineering, 1864. 

II. — Department of Medicine and Surgery. 
Professors. 

Silas Hamilton Douglass, M. A., M. D., Materia Medica, Pharmacy, and Med. Juris- 
prudence, 1848 to 1850. 

Abram Sager, M. A., M. D., Theory and Practice of Medicine, 1848. to 1850. 

Mofes Gunn, M. A., M. D., Anatomy, 1848 to 1850. 

Abram Sager, M. A., M. D., Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children, 1850 to 
1854. 

Moses Gunn, M. A., M. D., Anatomy and Surgery, 1850 to 1852. 

Samuel Denton, M. D., Theory and Practice of Medicine and Pathology, 1850 to 1860. 

Silas Hamilton Douglass, M. A., M. D., Chemistry, Pharmacy, and Medical Jurispru- 
dence, 1850. 

Jonathan Adams Allen, M. A., M. D., Therapeutics, Materia Medica, and Physiology, 
1850 to 1854. 

Zina Pitcher, M. D., (Emeritus,) Institutes of Medicine and Obstetrics, 1851. 

Moses Gunn, M. A.. M. D., Surgery, and Lecturer on Anatomy, 1852 to 1854 

Alonzo Benjamin Palmer, M. A. M. D., Anatomy, 1852 to 1854. 

Abram Sager, M. A., M. D., Obstetrics and Physiology, 1854 to 1860. 

Moses Gunn, M. A., M. D., Surgery, 1854. 

Alonzo Benjamin Palmer, M. A., M. D., Materia Medica, Therapeutics, and Diseases 
of Women and Children, 1854 to 1860 

Corydon La Ford, M. A., M. D , Anatomy, 1854 to 1869 

Edmund Andrews, M. A., M. D., (Jomparaiive Anatomy, 1854 to 1855. 

Alfred Dubois, M. A., (Assistant Professor.) Chemistry, 1857 to 1863. 

Abram Sager, M. A., M, D., Obstetrics, and Diseases of Women and Children, 1860. 

Alonzo Benjamin Palmer, M. A., M. D., Patliology, and Practice of Medicine and 
Materia Medica, 1860 to 1861. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 515 

Corydon La Ford, M. A., M. D , Anatomy and Pliy?iology, 18C0. 

Thomas Mclntyre Cooley, Medical Jurisprudence, 1860. 

Alonzo Benjamin Palmer, M. A., M D.. Patiiolo<ry, and Practice of Medicine, 1861. 

Samuel Glasgow Armor, M. D., Institutes of Mediciue and Materia Medica, 1861. 

Instructors. 
Edmund Andrews, M. A., M. D., Demonstrator, and Assistant Lecturer oa Anatomy, 
1851 to 1854. 

Edmund Andrews, M. A., M. D., Demonstrator of Anatomy, 1854 to 1855, 
Charles P. Tanner, M. D., Demonstrator of Anatomy, 1855 to 1857. 
Alfred Dubois. M. A., Assistant to the Prefessor of Chemistry, 18G5 to 1857. 
Albert Miller Heimer, M. D., Demonstrator of Anatomy, 1857 to 1858. 
William Lewiit, M. D., Demonstrator of Anatomy, 1858. 
Preston B. Rose, .M. D., Assistant in Chemistry, 1861. 
William II. Bruckner, Assistant in Chemistry, 1862 to 1863. 
Albert Benjamin Prescott, M. D., Assistant in Chemistry, 1863. 
Henry Sylvester Checver, B. A., Assistant in Chemistry, 1863. 
Dexter Valverd Dean, Assistant in Chemistry, 1863. 

III. Depahtment of Law. 
Professors. 
James Valentine C;(mpbell, M. A., Marshall Professor of Law, 1859. 
Charles Irish Walker. Kent Professor of Law, 1859. 
Mharles .Mclntyre Cooley, Jay Professor of Law, 1859. 



TRUSTEES OF MICHIGAN COLLEGES IN 1870. 

Adrian College.— Trustees, L. G. Berry, Adrian; J. S. Thrap, Adrian ; W. S. Wil- 
cox, Adrian ; John Redman, Pittsburg, Pa.; C. Springer, Zanesville, Ohio ; James .May- 
all, Princeton, Illinois ; T. J. Finch, Springfield, Ohio ; Jvihn Fordyce, Cambridge, Ohio ; 
R. R. Beecher, Adrian, President; J(/hn J. Gillispie, Pittsburg, Pa., Treasurer; Peter 
Low, Adrian ; R. Rose, Jeffersonvilie, Ohio ; G. B. McElroy, Secretary. 

Albion Colllge. — Trustees, B. F. Cocker, Ann Arbor ; David Preston, Detroit; S. 
W. Walker, Detroit; Jacob Anderson, Albion; A. M. Filch, Albion, Treasurer; J. S. 
Smart, Adrian ; M. A. Daugherty, Albion; William liort, Niles ; James W. vShel- 
don, Albion, President ; Seth R?ed, Romeo ; William H. Brockway, Albion ; Orlando 

C. Gale, Albion ; J. L. G. iMcKowu, Albion, President ex-officio. 

Hillsdale College. — Trustees, Horace Blackmar, Hillsdale ; John Corey, Fayette; 
George T. Day, D. D., Dover, N. U.; Ransom Dunn, Hillsdale ; Samuel B. Philbrick, 
Chester, Ohio ; Lawrens B. Potter, Lansing ; Henry E. Whipple, Hillsdale ; Samuel D. 
Bates, .Marion, O.; Ebenezer 0. Grosvenor, Hillsdale ; David H. Lord, .\I. D., Hillsdale; 
Chauncy Reynolds, Hillsdale ; S. F. Smith, Berlin, Wisconsin ; Nicholas Vineyard, 
Hillsdale; Henry Waldron, Hillsdale; Jeremiah Baldwin, Hillsdale; Daniel M. 
Graham, D. D., Chicago ; Frederick Fowler, Reading; Spencer J. Fowler, Hillsilale ; 
James Calder, D. D., Hillsdale; Charles B. .Mills, Vassar ; Linus S. Parmalee, Reading; 
Daniel Bcebee, Hillsdale; Henry J.King, Hillsdale; Charles T. Mitchell, Hillsdale ; 
William Calder, Harrisburg, Pa.; David L. Rice, I'illsdale; Lewis J. Thompson, Hills- 
dale ; J. W. Winsor, Hillsdale; Oscar E. Baker, Wilton, Indiana; John P. Cook, Hills- 
dale; Daniel Dunakin, Homer ; Frederick M. Ilolloway, Fayette ; Caleb C. Johnson, 
Hillsdale ; Leonard OIney, Hillsdale ; and Daniel L. Pratt, Hillsdale. 

Kalamazoo College. — Trustees, Kendall Brooks, D. D., President ; H. L. Wayland, 

D. D., Secretary; Caleb Van Husan, Treasurer; T. L. R. Jones; E. B. Smith; F. W. 
Wilco.x; B. P. Russell; Caleb Eldred,Jr.; F. S. Hamilton; N. S. Burton; D. D.; L. D. 
Palmer; E. G. Huntington ; John .Antisdell ; A.Owen; L. H. Trowbridge; Isaac W. 
Lamb; D. L. Latourelte ; Martin Wilson ; Caleb Ives; A. E. .Mather; II. L. .Morehouse; 
Geo. lugersoll; S. Cornelius, D. D.; Silas Bailey; J. S. Boyden , II. Staiiwood ; Charles 
Cooper; Latham Hall ; S. Haskell ; D. Putnam; U. C. Briggs ; E. Curtiss ; G. S, Chase ; 
and E. J. Fish. 

Olivet College. — Trustees: Nathan J. Morrison, D. D., President; Henry Bates, 
Canton, III ; James S. Hoyt, Port Huron ; Calvin Clark, Marshall ; Newell Avery, De- 
troit ; Herbert A. Reed, Marshall ; J. L. Pattun, Greeneville ; Oramel Hosford, Olivet ; 



516 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

Samuel F. Drury, Olivet ; Thomas Jones, Augusta; Philo R. Hurd, Romeo ; James B. 
Porter, Lansing; Serins W. Streeter, Union City; 0. Hitchcock, Kalumazoo; Fitz. L. 
Reed, Olivet; Philo Parsons, Detroit; Albertus L. Greene, Olivet ; Addison Bullard, D. 
D., Detroit ; Willard Davis, Vermontville ; Franklin Moore, Detroit ; William Hogarth, 
D.' D, Detroit; Wolcott B. Williams, Charlotte; Jesse W. Hough, Jackson; Latham 
Hull, Kalamazoo ; M. S. Sweet, Grand Rapids. 

Hope College. — As a notice of this institution was omitted in its proper place, a 
summary of its history and condition is submitted as follows : It is located in Holland 
City, Ottawa County; is under the control of the Reformed (Dutch) Church, and was 
incorporated in 1866. It was established as an Academy about the year 1850. by Rev. 
A. C. Van Raalte, the founder of the Holland Colony. Its grounds are si.xteen acres in 
extent, and its buildings, though comfortable, are temporary in their character. 

At the close of 186!), it had an endowment fund of about $50,000, and the work of 
increasing this was in progress. At present the Board of Education of the Reformed 
Church also furni hes the chief part of the sum needed for the salaries of the jirofes- 
sors, and expends about $1,000 per annum for the support of candidates for the minis- 
try. A similar board of the Hollandish churches contributes about $3,000 per annum 
for the support of students under its care. 

The Departments already organized are three, viz : Preparatory, Academic, and The- 
ological. In the Preparatory Department or Grammer school, are lour classes, which, 
in November, 1869, contained 72 pupils. The Academic Department has the customary 
classes. Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior, which embraced in November, 1869, 
25 students. The first class received the degree of A. B., in 1866, and of A. M. in 1869; 
and from this Department have been sent four classes, numbering together tweniy-two 
graduates, of whom seventeen are either in the ministry or preparing for it. The Theo- 
logical Department ushered its first class, a class of seven, into the ministry in June, 
1869. It had in November last nine members, distributed into Junior, Middle, and Se- 
nior classes. Thus the whole number of students for the year 1869-'70, was lOG. From 
the college priming house is issued a weekly religious newspaper in the Hollandish lan- 
guage. The following persons comprise the faculty of the institution : 

Albert-is 0. Van Raalte, D D., Professor of Evangelistic Theology. 

Philip Phelps, D. D., Professor of Exegetical Theology, and of Mental and Moral 
Philosophy. 

Cornelius E. Crispell, D. D , Professor of Didactic and Polemic Theology, and of .Math- 
ematics pnd Natural Philosophy. 

Peter J. Ogiel, A. .M , Lector in Sucred Rhetoric and Pastoral Theology, and Profes- 
sor of Sacred Literature. 

T. Romeyn Beck, A. M., Lector in Biblical Criticism and Philology, and Professor of 
Latin and Greek. 

Charles Scott, A. M., Lector in Ecclesiastical History and Government, and Professor 
of Natural History and Chemistry. 

Cornelius Doesberg, Tutor in Modern Languages. William A. Shields, A.M., Tutor. 

The General Synod of the Reformed Church in America, is the ultimate Board of Trus- 
tees exercisin-; its trust, at first through its Board of Education alone, but since the 
incorporation of the College principally by means of a Board of Superintendents, whose 
corporate title is The Council of Hope College. The following is the list of its officers : 

Albertus C. Van Raalte, D. D., Holland, Mich., President. 

John S. Joralmon, Fairview, III., Vice President. 

Abel T. Stewart, Holland, Mich., Secretary. 

Peter J. Oggel, Holland, Mich., Treasurer. 

John L. See, D. D., New Brunswick, N. J., Corresponding Secretary of the Board of 
Education. 

Philip Phelps, D. D., Holland, Mich., President of the College. 

In the past the groat effort of the friends of this Institution has been to build up its 
Theological Department, hut it is proposed to form new departments as soon as practi- 
cable, and measures have been taken to add a Primary and a Female Department at aa 
early day. 

State Board op Agriculture. — Hezekiah G. Wells, of Kalamazoo, President ; David 
Carpenter, of Blissfield ; Abraham C. Prutzman, Three Rivers ; S. 0. Knapp, Jackson ; 
Ornmtl Ilosford, Olivet; J. Webster Chiles, Ypsilanti. His Excellency H. P. Baldwin 
and T. C. Abbott, President of the College, ex-officio ; Sanford Howard, Secretary; 
Joseph Mills, Lansing. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 517 

BOOKS CONNECTED WITH THE TERRITORY AND STATE OP MICHIGAN. 

Agassiz, Louis. — Lake Superior, Its Physical Ciiaracter. Boston, 1850. 

American Stale Papers. — Volumes on Indian Allairs and Public Lauds. AVasbing- 
ton, 183-2. 

Andrews, Israel D. — Colonial and Lake Trade. Washington, 1852. 

Baraga, Frederick. — The Ottuwa Prayer Book. Detriot, 1842. 

Bi.shop, Levi. — Teuchsa Gromlie, a Poem. Albany, 1870. 

Blois, J. T.— Gazeteer of Michigan. Detroit, 1840. 

Bryant, William C. — Letter.s of a Traveller. New York, 1851. 

Burt, W. A., and Hubbard B. — Geography of the South Shore of Lake Superior. 
Detroit, 1846. 

Ciirver, Jonathan. — Travels Through North America in 17G0-8. London, 1779. A 
mutilated copy of this work was published in New York a few years ago as Travels in 
Wisconsin. 

Charlevoix, Father. — Travels Through Canada. London, 17C3. 

Clark, Charles F.— Michigan State Gazetecr. Detroit, 18G3. 

Colton, Georjje U. — Tecumseh ; or the West Thirty Years Since. New York, 1842. 

Cooley, Thomas .M. — Digest of .Michigan Reports. Detroit, . 

Cooper, J. Fennimore. — Oak Openings ; a novel, the scene of which is laid in Kala- 
mazoo County, Michigan. New York, 1848. 

Copway, George. — Traditional History of the Ojibway Nation. Boston, 1851. 

Darby, William.— A Tour from New York to Detroit. New York, 1819. 

Dejean. — The Missionary; A Vocabul.iry of French and Ottawa Words. Detroit, 1830. 

Disturnell, John. — The Great Lakes and their Commerce. New York, 1863. 

Drake, Benjamin. — Life of Tecumseh and his Brotlier, the Prophet. Cincinnati, 1841. 

Fa'-mer, John. — Michigan and Ouisconsiu Territories. New York, 1830. 

Farmer, J. W. — Map of Southern Michigan ; also, Sectional Map of Wisconsin anS 
Michigan. New York, 1856. 

Ferris, J. — States and Territories of the Great West. New York, 1856. 

Flint, Henry M. — The Railroads of the United States. Philadelphia, 1868. 

Foster, J. W. — The Physical Geography of the Mississippi Valley. Chicago, 1869. 

Fuller, Margaret S. — Summer on the Lakes. Boston, 1S56. 

Hennepin, Louis — Travels in Canada, Paris, . 

Henry, Alexand.n-. — Travels and Adventures in Canada. London, 1809. 

Historical Society of Michigan. Discourses by Lewis Cass, Henry ft. Schoolcraft, 
Henry Whiting, and" John Biddle Detroit 1834. 

Holfinan, Charles Fenno.— A Winter in the West. 2 vols. New York, 1835. 

Jameson, Anna. — Wi-.ter Studies and Summer Rambles, 3 vols. London, 1833. 

Kane, Paul. — Wanderings of an Artist Among the Indians of North America. Lon- 
don, 1859. 

Kirkland, Caroline M. — A New Home; Who'll Follow ; Forest Life; and Western 
Clearings. New Vork, 1839, 1842. and 1846. 

Kohl, J. G. — Kitchi Gami ; Wanderings Around Lake Superior. London, 1860. 

La Hontan, Baron. — Voyages to North America, 2 vols. London, 1703. 

Lanman, Charles. — A Summer in the Wilderness. New York. 1847. Life of Wil- 
liam Woodbridge. Washington, 1867. The Red Book of Michigan. Detroit, 1871. 

Lanman, Jara-S H. — History of .Michigan, Civil and Topographical. New York, 1839. 
Abridgement of the same. New York, 1843. 

Lossing, Benson J.— Field Book of the War of 1812. New York, 1863. 

Mac Afee. Robert B. — History of the Late War in the Western Country. Lexington, 
Ken'ucky, 1816. 

McKenney, Thomas L. — Tour to the Lakes. Baltimore. 1827. 

Noble, Louis Lo Grand. — .Miscellaneous Poems. Philadelphia and New York, 1842 
and 1857. 

i'arkman. Francis. — Conspiracy of Pontiac. Boston, 185 1. Jesuits in North America. 
Boston, 1867. 

Roberts, Robert E — Sketches of the City of Detroit. Detroit, 1855. 

Rogers, Robert. — Journal of an E.xpedition to Detroit. London, . 

Roosevelt, Robert U. — Suijcrior Fishing. New York, 1865. 

Scliooley, Augustus C.— Among the Wolverines. Chicago, 1869. 

Schoolcraft, Henry R.— Journal of Travels Through the American Lakes to the 
Sources of the .Mississippi [liver. Albany, 1821. The Rise of the West, and oilier 
poems. Detroit, 1827. Algic Researches, 2 vols. New York, 1839. Personal Memoirs 



518 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

from 1812 to 1842. Philadelphia, 1851. Life and Character of L wis Cass. Albany, 
1848. See also Miscellaneous Discourses and Lectures on the Minerals, Indians, and 
History of Michigan. 

Shearman, Francis W.— System of Public Instruction and the Primary School La^s 
of Michigan. Lansing, 18J2. 

Sheldon, E. M.— Eaily History of Michigan. New York, 1830. 

St. John, J. II. — Lake Superior Country and the Copper Mines. New York, 1826. 

Strickland, W. P.— Old Mackinaw. Philadelphia, 1853. 

Tanner, H S.— Map of Michigan and Wisconsin. Philadelphia, 1846. 

Tour of the American Lakes. Anonymous. London, 1833. 

Van Fleet, J. A.— Old imd New Mackinac. Ann Arbor, 1870. 

Wheelock, Julia S.— The Boys in White. New York, 1870. Appended to this work 
is a Poem by H. J. Baxter. 

Whitney, George L.— Historical and Scientific Sketches of Michigan. Detroit, 1834. 

Winchell, Alexander— lleports on the Geology of Michigan, and also on the Grand 
Traverse Region. Lansing, 1870. 

Young, William T., Life of Lewis Cass, Philadelphia, 1853. 

Zeisberger, David — His Life and Times as a Western Pioneer and Apostle of the In- 
dians. Philadelphia, 1870. 

To the above should be added the long list of documents, published by authority of 
the State, bearing on all its natural and industrial resources, which are not only nume- 
rous, but of great value. 



NEWSPAPERS OF MICHIGAN, WITH THEIR PUBLISHERS, IN 1870. 

Also, the character of the papers, and in what year established. 

Adrian Times and Expositor, daily and weekly, Applegate & Fee, 1838. 

Adrian Journal, weekly, J. Cross, 1867. 

Adrian Michigan Teacher, monthly, Payne, Whitney, & Co., 1865. 

Albion Mirror, weekly, L. W. Cole, 1856. 

Albion Recorder, weekly, Reed & Bissell, 1868. 

Albgan Democrat, weekly, Oscar Hare, 1867. 

Allegan Journal, weekly, D. C. Henderson, 1856. 

Allegan Star, monthly.'W. W. Vosburg, 1867. 

Alpena Pioneer, weekly, A. C. Tefft, 1863. 

Ann Arbor Democrat, weekly, H. E. H. Bower, 1868. 

Ann Arbor Michigan Argus, weekly, E. \i. Pond, 1845. 

Ann Arbor Peninsula Courier, weekly, R. A. Beal, 1861. 

Ann Arbor Chronicle, bi-weekly, University Students, 1869. 

Battle Creek Advent Review, weekly, Adventisl's Publishing Company, 1850. 

Battle Creek Journal, weekly, George Willard & Co., 1851. 

Battle Creek Youth's Instructor, semi-monthly, G. II. Bell, 1852. 

Battle Creek Health Reformer, monthly, W. C. Gauge, 1866. 

Battle Creek Real Estate Reporter, monfily, A. Hitchcock & Co., 1868. 

Bay City Journal, weekly, Wilson & Bryce, 1864. 

Bay City Saginaw Valley News, weekly, Republican Association, 1870. 

Bay City Signal, weekly, Kennedy k Worden, 1864. 

Benton Harbor Palladium, weekly, J P. Thresher, 1868. 

Big Rapids Pioneer, weekly, Charles, Gay & Co., 1862. 

Bronsou Herald, weekly, T. M. & C. C. Babcock, 1867. 

Buchanan Advent Christian Times, weekly. Publishing Association, 1864. 

Buchanan Record, weekly, D. A. Wagner, 1857. 

Buchanan Christian Proclamation, monthly, D. A. Wagner, 1868. 

Buchanan Advent, quarterly, W. L. Himes, \SC>0. 

Burr Oak Democrat, weekly, E. B. Dewey, 1869. 

Caro Tuscola Advertiser, weekly, li. G. Chapin, 1868. 

Cassopolis National Democrat, weekly, C. C. Allison, 1850. 

(jcdar Springs, Wolverine Clipper, weekly. Maze & Sellers, 1869. 

Cenlerville Republican, weekly, H. Egabroad & Co., 1869. 

Charlevoix Sentinel, weekly, W. A Smith, 1869. 

Charlotte Argus, weekly, J. V. Johaaon & Co., 1855. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 519 

Charlotte Republican, weekly, Saunders & Trash, 1853. 
Chesanir.g Banner, weekly, IMiblishiuir I'ompuny, 1869. 
Clinton Ktandard, weekly, D. B. Sherwood, 1870. 
Coldwater Republican, weekly, Bowen, Dunham & Moore, 1866. 
Coldwater Sentinel, weekly, F. V. Smith. KS'M. 
Constantine Mercury, weekly, L. F. Hull. 1845 
Corunna Shiawassee American, weekly, John N. Ingersoll, 1855. 
Decatur Republican, weekly, E. A. Blackmail, 18ij7. 
Detroit Abend Post, daily ami weekly, Augustus Marxhausen, 1867. 
Detroit Advertiser and Tribune, daily, tri-weekly, and weekly, Advertiser and Trib- 
une Company, IBliO. 

Detroit Free Press, daily, tri-weekly, and weekly. Free Press Company, 1832. 

Detroit Michigan Journal, daily, C. Mar.xhausen, 1855. 

Detroit, Michigan Volksblatt, daily and weekly, .M. Cramer & Co., 1853. 

Detroit Post, daily, tri-weekly, and weekly, Daily Post Company, 1866. 

Detroit Union, daily iind weekly. Union I'rinting Company, 1865. 

Detroit Anti-Roman Advocate, weekly, Mederic Lanctot, 1870. 

Detroit Commercial Advertiser, weekly, W. H. Burk, 18(;i. 

Detroit Journal of Commerce, weekly, J. T. Gradwell, 1865. 

Detroit, Michigan Farmer, weekly, Johnstone & Gibbons, I8G9. 

Detroit, Peninsular Herald, weekly. Temperance Association, 1863. 

Detroit American Observer, monthly, Edwin \. Lodge, 1864. 

Detroit Mechanic and Inventor, monthly. Publishing Association, 1867. 

Detroit, Review of Medicine and Pharmacy, monthly, G. P. Andrews, 1866. 

Dexter Leader, weekly, A. .McMillan, 1869. 

Dowagiac Rt publican, weekly, Henry C. Buffington, 1857. 

East Sa'ginaw Courier, weekly, S. S. Fomeroyv 1858. 

East Saginaw Enterprise, daily and weekly, publisher not known to Compiler, 1855. 

Eaton Rapids Journal, weekly, Frank C. Culk-y, 1865. 

Elk Rapids, Traverse Bay Eagle, weekly, Sprague & Spencer, 1864. 

Escanawba Tribune, weekly. E. P. Lott, 1869. 

Fenton Gazette, weekly, W. H. H. Smith, 1865. 

Fentonville Independent, weekly, II. N. Jennings, 1868. 

Fentonville Christian Home, quarterly, 0. E. Fuller, 1869. 

Flint, Genesee Democrat, weekly, Jenny & (•'ellows, 1848. 

Flint Globe, weekly, A. L. Aldnch, 1866. 

Flint, Wolverine Citizen, weekly, F. H. Rankin, 1850. 

Grand Haven Herald, weekly, Henry S. Chubb, 1869. 

Grand Haven News, weekly, John H. Mitchell, 1859. 

Grand Haven Union, weekly, L. M. S. f<raith, 1861. 

Grand Ledge Independent, weekly, B. F. Sininders, 1870. 

Grand Rapids Democrat, daily and weekly, M. H. Clark & Co., 1862. 

Grand Rapids Eagle, daily and weekly, A. B. Turner & Co., 1844. 

Grand Rapids Sun, daily, R. A. .Marvin k Co, 1869. 

Grand Rapids Industrial Journal, weekly. Labor Union Publishing Company, 1867. 

Grand Rapids Vrijheid's Bonier, weekly, Verberg & Co., 1868. 

Grass Lake Reporter, weekly, Andrew Allison, 1867. 

Greenville Independent, weekly, E. P. Grabill, 1854. 

Hart Oceana Journal, weekly, J. Palmeter, 1869. 

Hastings Banner, weekly, George M. Dewey, 1854. 

Hastings Home Journal, weekly, Gibson Brothers, 1868. 

Hillsdale Democrat, weekly, Wm. H. Tallman, 1859. 

Hillsdale Standard, weekly, H. B. Rowlson, 1846. 

Holland De Hollander, weekly, W. Beujaminse, 1850. 

Holland De Hope, weekly, Hope College, 1866. 

Holland, Der Wachter, semi-monthly, C. Vorst, 1866. 

Holly Kegister, weekly, Henry Jenkins, 1865. 

Houghton Portage Lake Gazette, weekly, H McKenzie, 1859. 

Howell Livingston Democrat, weekly, Jis. T. Titus. 1857. 

Howell Livingston Republican, weekly, J. D. Smith k Co., 1855. 

Hudson Gazette, weekly. Win. T. B. Schermerhorn, 1858. 

Hudson Post, weekly, C. W. Stevens, 1862. 

Ionia Sentinel, weekly, Taylor k Stevenson, 1866. 

Ithaca Gratiot Journal, weekly, Dauiel Taylor, 1866. 

Ithaca School Journal, monthly, Daniel Taylor, 1868. 



520 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

Jackson Citizen, daily and weelily, O'Donnell, Hilton, & Smith, 1849. 

Jackson Patriot weekly, Carlton and Van Antwerp, 1844. 

Jonesville Independent, weekly, James I. Dennis, 1848. 

Kalamazoo Telegraph, daily and weekly. Telegraph Company, 1868. 

Kalamazoo Gazette, weekly, Joseph Lomax, 1862. 

Kalamazoo Present Age, weekly. Spiritual Publishing Company, 1868 

Kalamazoo Bill Poster, monthly, McCarthy & Whipple, 1869. 

Kalamazoo Freemason, monthly, Chapin & Rix, 1869. 

Lansing State Democrat, weekly, J. W. Higgs, 1866. 

Lansing State Republican, weekly, W. S. George & Co., 1855. 

Lapeer Clarion, weekly, S. J. Tomlinson, 1837. 

Lawton Tribune, weekly, J. H. Wickwire, 1869. 

Leslie Herald, weekly, Jas. H. Ford & Co., 1869. 

Lexington Sanilac Jeffersonian, weekly, Nims & Beach, 1853. 

Lowell Journal, weekly, Morris & Smith, 1865. 

Luddington Record, weekly, Geo. W. Clayton, 1867. 

Manchester Enterprise, weekly, M. D. Blosser, 1867. 

Manistee Times, weekly, S. W. Fowler, 1865. 

Manistee Tribune, weekly, John E. Rostall, 1864. 

Marquette Mining Journal, weekly, A. P. Swineford, 1868. 

Marquette Plain Dealer, weekly, J. C. Buchanan, 1867. 

Marshall Expounder, weekly, Chastain Mann, 18;:!6. 

Marshall Statesman, weekly. Burgess & Lewis, 1859. 

Mason News, weekly, K. Kittredge, 1859. 

Menominee Herald, weekly, A. R. Bradbury, 1863. 

Midland City Cheek, weekly, VV. H. H. Bartram, 1869. 

Monroe Commercial, weekly, D. II. Hamilton, 1840. 

Monroe Monitor, weekly, E. G. Morton, 1862. 

Mount Clemens Press, weekly, John Trevidick, 1864. 
Mount Clemens Monitor, weekly, W. T. and 0. H. Lee, 1863. 
Mount Pleasant Enterprise, weekly, I. A. Fancher, 1864, 

Muskegon Chronicle, weekly, Geo. C. Rice, 1869. 
Muskegon Enterprise, weekly, I. Ransom Sanford, 1869. 
Muskegon News and Reporter, weekly, F. Wcller, 1868. 
Newaygo Republican, weekly, E. O. Shaw, 1856. 
Nilcs Democrat, weekly, A. J. Shakespear, 1839. 
Niles Republican, weekly, L. A. Duncan, 1866. 
North Lansing Enterprise, weekly, Willis F. Cornell, 1868. 
Northville Record, semi-monthly, Samuel II. Little, 1869. 
Ontonagon Miner, weekly, Thomas J. Lasier, 1855. 
Otsego Record, weekly, II. E. J. Clute, 18G9. 

Ovid Register, weekly, J. W. Fitzgerald, 1866. 
Owosso Press, weekly, J. H. Champion & Co., 1862. 
Owosso Crusader, monthly, A. B Wood, Jr., 1870. 
Parma Advertiser, monthly, James Hamuiell, 1869. 
Paw-Paw Northerner, weekly, Thomas 0. Ward, 1856. 
Paw-Paw Press, weekly, J. VV. Van Fossen, 1844. 
Pcntwater Times, weekly, Palmeter & Dresser, 1861. 
Pontiac Gazette, weekly, Rann & Turner, 1844. 
Pontiac Jacksonian, weekly, D. H. Solis, 1836. 
Port Austin News, weekly, V. W. Richardson, 1861. 
Port Huron Commercial, weekly, Talbot <fe Son, 1849. 
Port Huron Press, weekly, Boynion k Young, 1858. 
Port Huron Times, weekly, J. II. Stone, 1869. 
Portland Advertiser, weekly, Joseph W. Bailey, 1867. 
Qiincy Times, weekly. Times Company, 1868, 

Reading Review, weekly, li. W. Loukhart, . 

Saginaw Republican, weekly, F. A. Palmer, 1858. 
Saginaw Saginawian, weekly, George F. Lewis, 1869. 
St. Clair Rei)ublican, weekly. Wands & Ross, 1857. 
Si. John's Independent, weekly, Corbet k Estes, 1866. 
St. John's Repul)lican, weekly, D. M. Phillips, 1854. 
St. Joseph Herald, weekly, H. W. Guerens 'y, 1866. 
St. Joseph Traveller, weekly, A. L. Aldrice, 1859. 
St. Louis Gazette, weekly, il. E. Church, 1869. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 



52] 



St. Louis Advocate, monthly, A. D. Rust, 1869. 

Laramie Standard, weekly, .'-'pencer & Wilson, 1870. 

Saugatuck Commercial, weekly, George Sherwood & Co., 1869. 

Schoolcraft. News, weekly, V. C. Smith, 1869. 

Shepardsville Ailvance, weekly, Shepard & Brass. 1869. 

Sou.li Haven Sentinel, weekly, William E. Stewart, 18G7. 

Spring Luke Independent, weekly, John Lee, 18G9. 

Stanton, Montcalm Herald, weekly, E. R. Powell, 1867. 

Sturgis Journal, weekly, G. W. W'ait, 1861. 

Tawas City Gazette, weekly, Charles S. Helbourn, 1868. 

Tecumseh Herald, weekly, C. M. Burlingame, 1849. 

Tecumseh Raisin Valley Record, weekly, Cliapin & Page, 1866. 

Three River's Reporter, weekly, W. H. Clute & Co., 18C0. 

Traverse City Herald, weekly, D. C. Leach, 1858. 

Vassar Pioneer, weekly, Alexander Trotter, 18.'i7. 

Wenona Herald, weekly, James B. Teneyck, I8G9. 

Whitehall Forum, weekly, Benjamin Frank, 18C9. 

Ypsilanli Commercial, weekly, C. R. Pattison, 1864, 



THE POST OFFICES OF MICHIGAN IN 1870. 



Official and brought down to October 1, 1870; (hose markedwith a * are Money-Order Offices. 



Abscota, Calhoun 
Acme, (Jrand Traverse 
Ada, Kent 
Adamsville, Cass 
Addison, Lenawee 
Adrian* (e. h.) Lenawee 
^tna, Newaygo 
Akron, Tuscola 
Alabaster, Iosco 
Alamo, Kalamazoo 
Alaska, Kent 
Albion,* Calhoun 
Alcona, Alcona 
Algansee, Branch 
Algodon, Ionia 
Aigonac. St. Clair 
Alice, Oceana 
Allegan* (c. h.) Allegan 
Allen, Hillsdale 
Allendale, Ottawa 
Aliens, Eaton 
Alma. Gratiot 
Almena, Van Buren 
Almira, Benzie 
Almont, Lepeer 
Alpena* (c. h.) Alpena 
Aljiine, Kent 
Alio, Kent 
Alton, Kent 
Alverson, Ingham 
Amadore, Sanilac 
Amber, Mason 
Am boy, Hillsd-le 
Ain.«den, Montcalm 
Ann Arbor* (c. h.) Washte- 
naw 
Antrim City, Antrim 
Arcadia, Manistee 
Arenac, Bay 



Argentine, Genesee 
Arland, Jackson 
Arlington. Van Buren 
Armada, Macomb 
Ashland, Newaygo 
Ashley, Kent 
Assyria, Barry 
Athens, Calhoun 
Athlone, Monroe 
Atlas, Genesee 
Atwood, Antrim 
Au Gres, Bay 
Augusta, Kalamazoo 
Aurelius, Ingliam 
Au Sable, Iosco 
Atisterlitz, Kent 
Austin, Oakland 
Averill's Station, Midland 
Avery, Berrieu 
Bad River, Gratiot 
Bainbridge, Berrien 
Baldwin's Mills, Jackson 
Baltimore, Barry 
Bangor, Van Buren 
Baraga, Houghton 
Barnard, Charlevoix 
Barryville, Barry 
Barton, Newaygo 
Base Lake, Washtenaw 
Batavia, Branch 
Bates, Osceola 
Bath, Clinton 
Battle Creek,* Calhoun 
Bay Cily* (c. h.) Bay 
Bear Lake, Manistee 
Bear Lake Mills, Van Buren 
Bear River, Emmet t 
Beaver Creek, CJratiot 
Bedl'ord, Calhoun 
2 G * 



Belle River, St. Clair 
Belleville, Wayne 
Bellevue,* Eaton 
Belmont, Kent 
Bengal, Clinton 
Bennington, Shiawassee 
Benona, Oceana 
Benton, Washtenaw 
Benton Harbor,* Berrien 
Bcnzonia, (c. h.) Benzie 
Beilin, Ottawa 
Berrien Centre, Berrien 
Berrien Springs* (c. h.) Ber- 
rien 
Bertrand, Berrien 
Berville, St. Clair 
Bethel, Branch 
Betsey Lake, Grand Traverse 
Big Beaver, Oakland 
Big Creek, Mecosta 
Big Prairie, Newaygo 
Big Rapids* (c. h.) Mecosta 
Big Spring, Ottawa 
Birch Run, Saginaw 
Birmingham, Gakiand 
Blackberry Ridge, Oceana 
Black Lake, Muskegon 
Blair, Barr^- 
Blendon, Ottawa 
Blissfield, Lenawee 
Bloomer Centre, Montcalm 
Bloomingdale, Van Buren 
Blue Lake, Muskegon 
Blufl'ton, Muskegon 
Biumfield, Saginaw 
Blumtield Junction, Saginaw 
Bostwiek Lake. Kent 
Bowen's .Mills, Barry 
Bowue, Kent 



522 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 



Boyne, Charlevoix 
Bradley, Allegan 
Brady, Kalamazoo 
Brandon, Oakland 
Breedsville, Van Buren 
Bridffcport Centre, Saginaw 
Bridgeton, Newaygo 
Bridgeville. Gratiot 
Brighton, Livingston 
Brockway, St. Clair 
Brock way, Centre, St. Clair 
Bronson's Prairie Branch 
Brookfield, Eaton 
Brooklyn,* Jackson 
Brookside, Oceola 
Brown's iMills, Muskegon 
Brownstown, Wayne 
Brownsville, Cass 
Buchanan,* Berrien 
Biiel, Sanilac 
Buena Vista, Saginaw 
Bunker Hill, Ingham 
Burch's, Kent 
Burdickvi'ile, Leelenaw 
Burlington, Calhoun 
Burnip's Corners Allegan 
Burns, Shiawassee 
Burnside, Lapeer 
Burr Oak,* St. Joseph 
Bushneli Centre, Montcalm 
Butler, Branch 
Byron, Shiawassee 
Byron Centre, Kent 
Cady, Macomb 
Caledonia, Kent 
Caledonia Station, Kent 
California, Branch 
Calumet, Houghton 
Calvin, Cass 
Cambria Mills, Hillsdale 
Cambridge, Lenawee 
Camden, Hillsdale 
Campbell, Ionia 
Can, Huron 

Canandaigua, Lenawee 
Cannonsburgh, Kent 
Canton, Wayne 
Capac, St. Clair 
Carleton, Muskegon 
Carlisle, Eaton 
Caro,* (c. h.) Tuscola 
Carrollton, Saginaw 
Carson City, Montcalm 
Cascade, Kent 
Casco, St. Clair 
Caseville, Huron 
Casnovia, Kent 
Cass, Hillsdale 
Cass Bridge, Saginaw 
Cass City, Tuscola 
Cossopolis* (c. h.) Cass 
Calo, Montcalm 
CL'dar Creek, Barry 
Cedar Dale, Sanilac 
Cedar Fork, Menomonee 



Cedar Run, Grand Traverse 
Cedar Springs, Kent 
Central Lake, Antrim 
Centre, Eaton 

Centreville, {c. h.) St. Joseph 
Ceresco, Calhoun 
Charlevoix. {c. h.) Charlevoix 
Charlotte* {c. h.) Eaton 
Cheboygan, {c. A.) Cheboygan 
Chelsea, Washtenaw 
Cheasaning, Saginaw 
Cheshire, Allegan 
Chester, Eaton 
Chickaming, Berrien 
China, St. Clair 
Chippewa Lake, Mecosta 
Church's Corners, Hillsdale 
Clarence, Calhoun 
Clarendon Centre, Calhoun 
Clarksburgh, Marquette 
Clarkston. Oakland 
Clay Bank, Oceana 
Clay Hill, Wexford 
Clayton, Lenawee 
Clear Water, Antrim 
Clifford, Lapeer 
Climax Prairie, Kalamazoo 
Clinton, Lenawee 
Clio, Genesee 
Clyde Mills, St. Clair 
Cob Moo Sa, Oceana 
Cody's Mills, Kent 
Cohoctah, Livingston 
Cold Water* (c. h.) Branch 
Colfax, Mason 
Coloma, Berrien 
Colon, St. Joseph 
Columbia, Jackson 
Columbiaville, Lapeer 
Columbus, St. Clair 
Commerce, Oakland 
Comstock, Kalamazoo 
Concord, Jackson 
Conner's Creek, Wayne 
Constantine, St. Joseph 
Convis Centre, Calhoun 
Cook's Station, Newaygo 
Cooper, Kalamazoo 
Coopersville, Ottawa 
Co^)per Falls Mine, Kewee- 
naw 
Copper Harbor, Keweenaw 
Coral, Montcalm 
Cortland Centre, Kent 
CoTunna* (c h.) Shiawassee 
County Line, Eaton 
Covert, Van Buren 
Cracow, Huron 
Crapo. Osceola 
Crawford, Isabella 
Creswell, Antrim 
Croton,* Newaygo 
Crystal, Montcalm 
Dallas, Clinton 
Dalton's Corners, Wavne 



Danby, Tonia 
Dansville, Ingham 
Davisburgh, Oakland 
Davison, Genesee 
Davisville, Sanilac 
Dayton, Berrien 
Dearbornville, Wayne 
Decatur, Van Burcn 
Deckerville, Sanilac 
Deer Creek, Livingston 
Deerfield, Lenawee 
Delroy, Wayne 
Delta, Katon 
Denmark, Tuscola 
Dennison, Ottawa 
Denton, Wayne 
Denver, Newaygo 
Detour, Chippewa 
Detroit* (c h.) Wayne 
De Witt, Clinton 
Dexter, Washtenaw 
Disco, Macomb 
Dorr, Allegan 
Douglas, Allegan 
Dowagiac,* Cass 
Drayton Plains, Oakland 
Dryden, Lapeer 
Dundee, Monroe 
Dunningville, Allegan 
Du Plain, Clinton 
Eagle, Clinton 
Eagle Harbor, Keweenaw 
Eagle River, [c h.) Keweenaw 
East Dayton, Tuscola 
East Gilead, Branch 
East Leroy, Calhoun 
Eastmansville, Ottawa 
East Milan, Monroe 
Eiiston, Ionia 
East Saginaw,* Saginaw 
East Tawas, Iosco 
East Traverse Bay, Gr. Trav- 
erse 
Eaton Rapids, Eaton 
Eau Claire, Berrien 
Ecorse, Wayne 
Eden, Ingham 
Edcnville, Midland 
Edgerton, Kent 
Edinburgh, Hillsdale 
Edwardsburgh, CuSS 
Elgin, Genesee 
Elk, Saginaw 
Elklake, Lapeer 
Elkland, Tuscola 
Et/c Rapids, (c. h.) Antrim 
Ellington, Tuscola 
Elm, Wayne 
Elm Hall, Gratiot 
Elmira, Eaton 
Elsie, Clinton 
Emmett, St. Clair 
Emi)ire, Leelenaw 
Englishville, Kent 
Eusley, Newaygo 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 



523 



Erie. Monroe 
Eaconawba* (c. h.) Delta 
Essex, Clinton 
Eureka ClinlOQ 
Evart, Osceola 
Exeter, Monroe 
Fdirfi?ld, Lenawee 
Fair Grove, Tuscola 
Fair Haven, St. Clair 
Fairview, Mason 
Fallasburgh, Kent 
Farmers, Sanilac 
Farmer's Creek, Lapeer 
Farniinfjton, Oakland 
Fawn River, Kt. Joseph 
Fayette, Delta 
Felt's lugliam 
Fenn's Mill's, Allegan 
Fentonville,* Genesee 
Ferris, Monicalra 
Ferrysburgli, Ottawa 
Filer City, Manistee 
Fillmore, Barry 
Fitcliburgli, Ingham 
Five Lakes, Lapeer 
Fleming, Livingston 
Flint* (c. h.) Genesee 
Florence, St. Joseph 
Flower Creek, Oceana 
Flowerfield, St. Joseph 
Flushing, Genesee 
Forest City, Muskegon 
Forest Hill, Gratiot 
Forestville, Sanilac 
Fork, Mecosta 
Forrester, Sanilac 
Fort Gratiot, St. Clair 
Four Towns, Oakland 
Fowlerville, Livingston 
FranciscoviUe, Jackson 
Frankenlust, Saginaw 
Frankenmuth, Saginaw 
Frankfort, Benzie 
Franklin. Oakland 
Fraser, .Macomb 
Fredoiiia, Washtenaw 
Fremont, Shiawassee 
Fremont Centre, Newaygo 
Frontier, Hillsdale 
Fruitport, .Muskegon 
Fulton, Kalamazoo 
Gagetown, Tuscola 
Gaines' Station, Genesee 
Gainesville, Kent 
Gale'^biirgh,* Kalamazoo 
Galien, Berrien 
Ganges, Allegan 
Garden, Delta 
Geary, Clinton 
Genesee Village, Genesee 
Geneva, Lenawee 
Genoa, Livingston 
Georg-'towii, Ottawa 
Gibr.ilta, Wayne 
Gilead, Branch 



Gilford, Tuscola 
Girard, Branch 
Glass River, Shiawassee 
Glen Arbor, Leelenaw 
Glendale, Van Buren 
Glen Haven, Leieenaw 
Golding, Oceana 
Good Harbor, Leelenaw 
Goodland, Lapeer 
Goodrich, Genesee 
Graafschap, Allegan 
Gratton, Monroe 
Grand Blanc, Genesee 
Grand Haven* (c. k.) Ottawa 
Grand l-.edge, Eaton 
Grand Rapids* (c. A.) Kent 
Grandville, Kent 
Grant, Kent 
Grass Lake,* Jackson 
G rat tan, Kent 
Gravel Run, Washtenaw 
Greenbush, Alcona 
Greenfield, Wayne 
Greenland, Ontonagon 
Green Oak, Livingston 
Greenville,* Montcalm 
Greenwood Furnace, Mar- 
quette 
Groveland, Oakland 
Gull Lake, Barry 
Gun Marsh, Allegan 
Hadley, Lapeer 
Hamburgh, Livingston 
Hamilton, Allegan 
Hamlin, .Monroe 
Hammond, Kent 
Hancock, Houghton 
Hanley. Ottawa 
Hanover, Jackson 
Hansen, Oceana 
Harris Creek, Kent 
JIarrisville, (c. h.) Alcona 
Hart* (c h.) Oceana 
Hanford, Van Buren 
Hartland. Livingston 
Hartwellville, kShiawassce 
Harvey, Marquette 
Harwood, Muskegon 
Hasler, Lapeer 
Hastings* [c. h.) Barry 
Hazelton, Shiawassee 
Hazelgreen, Shiawassee 
Hemlock City, Saginaw 
Henrietta, Jackson 
Ihrsey, (c. h.) Osceola 
lles|)eria, Oceana 
Hickory Corners, Barry 
H'gliland, Oakland 
Hilliard's, Allegan 
mihdale* [c. h) Hillsdale 
Holland,* Ottawa 
Holly,* Oakland 
IIi)lt, JULrliam 
Home. Newaygo 
Homer, Calhoun 



Homestead, B'-nzie 
Hooker, Van Buren 
Hopkins Allegan 
Hopkins Station, Allegan 
Houghton* (c. h.) Houghton 
Howard, Muskegon 
Howard City, Montcalm 
Howardsville, St. Joseph 
JJowell, (c. h.) Livingston 
Hubbardstou, Ionia 
Hudson,* Lenawee 
Hughesville, Saginaw 
Humboldt, Marquette 
Hunter's Creek, Lapeer 
Huron City, Huron 
Huron Station, Wayne 
Ida, Monroe 
Imlay, Lapeer 
Indian Creek, Kent 
Indian Town, Mason 
Inkster, Wayne 
Inland, Benzie 
Ionia* (c. h.) Ionia 
Irving, Barry 
Isabella City, Isabella 
Ishpeming, .Marquette 
Ithuca* (c. h.) Gratiot 
Jackson * (r. h.) Jackson 
Jamestown, Ottawa 
Jay, Saginaw 
Jeddo, St. Clair 
Jetferson, Hillsdale 
Jefl'ersonville, Cas3 
Jersey, Oakland 
Johnston, Barry 
Jonesville,* Hillsdale 
Josco, Livingston 
Joyficld, Benzie 
Kalamazoo* (c. h.) Kala- 
mazoo 
Kalamo, Eaton 
Kawkawlin, Bay 
Keelcrsville, Van Buren 
Keene, Ionia 
Kelloggsville, Kent 
Kelly s Corners, Lenawee 
Kendall, Van Buren 
Kenockee, St. Clair 
Kensington, Oakland 
Kiddville, Ionia 
Kinderhook, Branch 
Kipp's Corners, Genesee 
La Fayette, Gratiot 
La Grange, Cass 
Lainsburgh, Shiawassee 
Lake Linden, Houghton 
Lake Mill, Van Buren 
Lake I'ort, St. Clair 
Lake Riiige, Lenawee 
Laketon, Berrien 
Lakeview, .Montcalm 
Lakeville, Oakland 
Lambertville, .Monroe 
Lamont, Ottawa 
Lamotte, Sanilac 



524 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 



L'Ance, Houghton 
Langston, Montcalm 
Lansing,* Ingham 
Lapeer (c h) Lapeer 
La Saile. Monroe 
Lawrence,* Van Buren 
Lawton,* Van Burea 
Lehind, Leelenaw 
Leoni, Jackson 
Leonulas. St. Joseph 
Leslie, Ingham 
Lexington * (c. h.) Sanilac 
Liberty, Jackson 
Lima, Washtenaw 
Lincoln, (c h.) Mason 
Linden, Genesee 
Lisbon, Ottawa 
Litchfi. |(i,* Hillsdale 
Little Prairie Ronde, Cass 
Little Traverse, (c. h.) Emmett 
Locke, Ingham 
London, Monroe 
Lowell, Kent 
Ludington,* Mason 
Ljnn, St. Clair 
Lyons,* Ionia 
Lyon's Mill, Clinton 
Mackinaw,* (c. h ) Mackinac 
Macomb, Macomb 
Macon, Lenawee 
Madison, Livingston 
Mal)o|)ac, Oakland 
Manchester, Washtenaw 
Manistee,* (c. h.) Manistee 
Maniius, Allegan 
Mai)k', Ionia 
Maiile Grove, Barry 
Maple Mill, Montcalm 
Mapile Rapids, Clinton 
Mapleton, Grand Traverse 
Marathon, Lapeer 
Marcellus, Cass 
Mai-engo. Calhoun 
Murine City,* St. Clair 
Marion, Livingston 
Marlette, Sanilac 
3Iarqwite,* {c A.) Marquette 
Marshall,* (c. h.) Calhoun 
Marshville, Oceana 
Martin, Allegan 
Martinsville, Wayne 
Marysvillc, St. Clair 
Mason,* (c. h.) Ingraham 
Matherton, Ionia 
Mattawan, Van Buren 
Mattison, Branch 
May, Tuscola 
Mayfield, Grand Traverse 
Meade, Macomb 
Mead s Mills, Wayne 
Meadville, Barry 
Mecosta, Mecosta 
Medina, Lenawee 
Melville, Leelenaw 
Memphis,* Macomb 



Mendon, St. Joseph 

Menomonee,* (c. h.) Menomo- 
nee 

Merrillsville, St. Clair 

Metamora, Lapeer 

Michara, Leelenaw 

Michigan Centre, Jackson 

Middletown, Ingham 

Middleville,* Harry 

Midland,* {c. A.) Midland 

Milan, Washtenaw 

Mile Creek, Muskegon 

Milford,* Oakland 

Millbrook, Mecosta 

Millburgh, Berrien 

Mill Cre. k, Kent 

Millington, Tuscola 

Milo, Barry 

Milton, Macomb 

Minden, Sanilac 

Mitchell, Antrim 

Model City, Cass 

iloline, Allegan 

Monroe,* (c. h ) Monroe 

Monroe Centre, Gr. Traverse 

Montague,* Muskegon 

Monterey, Allegan 

Montrose, Genesee 

Moreuci, Lenawee 

Morgan, Marquette 

Morganville, Hillsdale 

Morley, Mecosta 

Moscow, Hillsdale 

Mosherville, Hillsdale 

Moltviile, St. Joseph 

Mount Clemens,* (c. h.) Ma- 
comb 

Mount Morris Station, Gen- 
esee 

Mount Pleasant,* (c. h.) Isa- 
bella 

Mount Vernon, Macomb 

Mud Creek, Eaton 

Muir, Ionia 

Mundy, "Genesee 

Mungerville, Shiawassee 

Munising, Schoolcraft 

Muskegon* (c. A.) Muskegon 

Nahnia, Delta 

Nankin, Wayne 

Napoleon, Jackson 

Nashville,* Barry 

Negaunee, Marquette 

Nelson, Kent 

Nelsonville, Charlevoix 

Newark, Gratiot 

Newaggn,* (c. A.) Newaygo 

New Baltimore, Macomb 

New Boston, Wayne 

New Buffalo,* Berrien 

Newburgh, Cass 

Newbury, Tuscola 

New Casco, Allegan 

New Haven, Macomb 

New Uavcu Centre, Gratiot 



New Home, Montcalm 
New Hudson, Oakland 
Newport, Monroe 
New River, Huron 
New Salem, Allegan 
Newton, Calhoun 
New Troy, Berrien 
Niles,* Berrien 
Noble Centre, Branch 
North Adams, Hillsdale 
North Aurelius, Ingham 
North Branch, Lapeer 
North Byron, Kent 
North Eagle, Clinton 
North Farmingtou, Oakland 
North Irving, Barry 
North Newberg, Shiawassee 
North Plains, Ionia 
Nurthport,* [c. h ) ( eelenaw 
North Raisinville, Monroe 
North Star, Gratiot 
North Unity, Leelenaw 
North Vernon, Shiawassee 
Northville, Wayne 
Norvcll, Jackson 
Norwalk, Manistee 
Norwood, Cbarlevoix 
Novi, Oakland 
Nunico, Ottawa 
Oak, Wayne 
Oakfield," Kent 
Oak Grove, Livingston 
Oak Hill, Oakland 
Oakland, Oakland 
Oakley, Saginaw 
Oakville, Monroe 
Oakwood, Oakland 
Ogden Centre, Lenawee 
Oceola Centre, Livingston 
Ogemaw, Iosco 
Ohio Mill, Ottawa 
Okemos, Ingham 
Old Mission, Grand Traverse 
Olive, Clinton 
Olivet,* Eaton 
Omena, Leelenaw 
Onondaga, Ingham 
Onota, Schoolcraft 
Ontonagon (c. A.) Ontonagon 
Oporto, St. Joseph 
Ora Labor, Huron 
Orange, Ionia 
Oran^eville, Branch 
Orangeville Mills, Barry 
Orion, Oakland 
Orleans, Ionia 
Ortonville, Oakland 
Osbtemo, Kalamazoo 
Osseo, Hillsdale 
Ossineke, Alpena 
Otisco, Ionia 
Otisville, Genesee 
Otsego, Allegan 
Ottawa Lake, Monroe 
Otter Creek, Jackson 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 



525 



Overisel, Allegan 
Ovid,* Ciiuton 
Owosso,* Shiawassee 
Oxlord, Oakland 
Pack's Mills, Sanilac 
Paint Creek, Washtenaw 
Palmyra, Lenawee 
Palo, Ionia 
Pa-Pa-Me, Oceana 
Paris, Mecosta 
Park, St. Josei)h 
Parkville, >t. Joseph 
Parma,* Jackson 
Parshallviljc. Livingston 
Partello, Calhonn 
Patterson's Mills, Ionia 
Pavilion, Kalamazoo 
Paw Paw * (c. h.) Van Buren 
Peck, Sanilac 
Penn Mine, Keweenaw 
Pent Water, Oceana 
Perrinsville. W'ayne 
Perry, Shiawassee 
Petersbinph, Monroe 
Petlysville, Livinjrston 
Pewaino, Ionia 
Phoenix, Keweenaw 
Pierson, Montcalm 
Pinckney, Livingston 
Pine Creek, Calhonn 
Pine Grove, Tuscola 
Pine Grov> Mills, Van Buren 
Pine Hill, Sanilac 
Pine River, Lake 
Pine Run, Genesee 
Pinnebog. Huron 
Pipestone, Berrien 
Pittsburg, Shiawassee 
PittsforJ. Hillsdale 
Plainfiei<l, Livingston 
Plainwcll, Allegan 
Plank Road, Wayne 
Platte, Benzie 
Pleasant, Kent 
Pleasanton, Manistee 
Pleasant Valley, Berrien 
Plymouth, Wayne 
Pokngon, Cass 
Ponipei, Gratiot 
Ponama, Newaygo 
Pontiuc* (c. h.) Oakland 
Pool, Lapeer 
Portage, Kalamazoo 
Port Anslin, (c. h.) Huron 
Port Cresent. Huron 
Porter, Midland 
Port Hope, Huron 
Port Huron,* St. Clair 
Portland, Ionia 
Port Sanilac, Sanilac 
Port Sheldon, Ottawa 
Portsmouth, Bay 
Potlamie, Ottawa 
Pottersville, Eaton 
PrairieviUe, Barry 



Prospect Lake, Van Buren 
Pulaski, Jackson 
Quincy,* Branch 
Quinn, Macomb 
Raisin Centre, Lenawee 
Randall, Saginaw 
Ransom, Hillsdale 
Ravenna, Muskegon 
Rawsonville, Wayne 
Ray Centre, Macomb 
Raynold, Montcalm 
Reading, Hillsdale 
Red Bridge, Ingham 
Redford, Wayne 
Reed, Ocei#ia 
Richfield, G< nesee 
Richland, Kalamazoo 
Richmond, Macomb 
Richmondville. Sanilac 
Ricliville, Tuscola 
Ridgeway, Lenawee 
Rienza, Mecosta 
Riga, Lenawee 
Riley, Clititoa 
Riley Centre, St. Clair 
River Raisin, Washtenaw 
Riverton, Mason 
Rives Junction, Jackson 
Roberts' Landing, St. Clair 
Robinson, Ottawa 
Rochester, Oakland 
Rock Falls, Huron 
Rockford,* Kent 
Bockland, Ontonagon 
Rollin, Lenawee 
RoUo, Iosco 
Rome, Lenawee 
Romeo,* .Macomb 
Romulus, Wayne 
Rootville, Antrim 
Rose, Oakland 
Roseville, Macomb 
Round Lake, Branch 
Rowland, Isabella 
Roxana, Eaton 
Royal Oak, Oakland 
Ruby, St. Clair 
Rural Vale, Lapeer 
Saginaw * (c. A ) Saginaw 
Saint Charles, Saginaw 
Saint Clair* (c. A.) St Clair 
Saint James * (c. /i.) Manitou 
Saint John's * (c. h.) Clinton 
Saint Joseph,* Herriea 
Saint Louis, Gratiot 
Salem, Washtenaw 
Saline, Washtenaw 
Salt River, Isabella 
Salzburgh, Bay 
Sand Beach, HuroQ 
Sand Lake, Kent 
Sandstone, Jackson 
Saranac, Ionia 
Sattprlee's .Mills, Mecosta 
Saugatuck,* Allegan 



Saute de S(e. Marie, (c. h.) 

Chippewa 
Sawyer, Berrien 
Schoolcraft, Kalamazoo 
Scio, Washtenaw 
Sebewa, Ionia 
Sebewaing, Huron 
Secillia, Calhoun 
Seneca, Lenawee 
Shave Head, Cass 
Shelby, Oceana 
Shepardsville, Clinton 
Sheridan, Montcalm 
S/>er7nan, (c. h.) Wexford 
Sherwood, Branch 
Sidney, Montcalm 
Silver Creek, Allegan 
Sitka, Newaygo 
Six Corners, Ottawa 
Skinner, Bay 

Slocum's Grove, MuskegOQ 
Smith's Corners, Oceana 
Smith's Creek, St. Clair 
Smithville, Wayne 
Smyrna. Ionia 
Sodus, Berrien 
Solon, Leelenaw 
Somerset, Hillsdale 
South Boston, Ionia 
South Butler, Branch 
South Camden, Hillsdale 
South Cass, Ionia 
South Climax, Kalamazoo 
Southfield, Oakland 
South Georgetown, Ottawa 
South Haven, Van Buren 
South Jackson, Jackson 
South Lyon, Oakland 
South Riley, Clinton 
South Saginaw, Saginaw 
South WrighL Hillsdale 
Sparta Centre. Kent 
Spencer Creek, Antrim 
Si)encer's .Mill, Kent 
Spring Arbor, Jackson 
Si>riiig Brook, Gratiot 
Spring Creek, Oceana 
Si)ringGelii, Oakland 
Spring Lake, Ottawa 
Spring Mills, Oakland 
Spriug|)ort, Jackson 
Springville, Lenawee 
Stanton, (c. h.) Montcalm 
Stebbinsville. Oceana 
Stella, Gratiot 
Stockbridge, Ingham 
Stony Creek, Washtenaw 
Stony Run, Oakland 
Strait's, Lake, Oakland 
Strickland, Isabella 
Stronach, Manistee 
Sturgis,* St. Joseph 
Sumraerton, Gratiot 
Summerville, Cass 
Summit, Washtenaw 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 



Sumner, Gratiot 
Sun field, Eaton 
Sutton's Bay, Leelenaw 
Swan Creek, Saginaw 
Swartz Creek, Genesee 
Sylvan, Washtenaw 
Tallmadge, Ottawa 
Tamarack, Montcalm 
Tairas Ci>i/,* (c h.) Iosco 
Taylor Centre, Wayne 
Taymouth, Saginaw 
Tecumseh,* Lenawee 
Tekonslia, Calhoun 
Thetford Centre, Genesee 
Thomas. Oceana 
Thornton, t^t. Clair 
Thornville. Lapeer 
Three Oaks,* Berrien 
Three Rivers,* St. Joseph 
Tipton, Lenawee 
Tompkins, Jackson 
Torch Lake, Antrim 
Traverse City* (c. h.) Grand 

Traverse 
Trent, Muskegon 
Trenton, Wayne 
Trostville, Saginaw 
Troy, Oakland 
Turnersport, Manistee 
Tj-re, Sanilac 
Tyrone, Livingston 
fnadilla, Livingston 
Union, Cass 
Union ( ity. Branch 
Union Pier, Berrien 
Unionville, Tuscola 
Utica,* Macomb 
Vandalia, Cass 
Vassar* (c. h.) Tuscola 
Ventura, Ottawa 



Vergennes, Kent 
Vermontville, Eaton 
Vernon, Shiawassee 
Verona Mills, Fliiron 
Vickeryville, Montcalm 
Victor, Clinton 
Victory, Mason 
Vincent, St. Clair 
Volinia, Cass 
Vriesland, Ottawa 
Wacousta, Clinton 
Wahjamega, Tuscola 
Wakeshma, Kalamazoo 
Waldenburgh, Macomb 
Wales, St. Clair * 
Wallaceville, Wayne 
Walled Lake, Oakland 
Warren, Macomb 
Washington, Macomb 
Waterf'ord, Oakland 
Waterloo, Jackson 
Watertown, Tuscola 
Watervliet, Berrien 
Watrousville, Tuscola 
Watson, Allegan 
Waverly, Van Buren 
Wayland,* Allegan 
Wayne, Wayne 
Wcare, Oceana 
Webberville, Ingham 
Webster, Washtenaw 
Weesaw, Berrien 
Wellsville, Lenawee 
Wenona, Bay 
West Campbell, Ionia 
West Casco, Allegan 
West Geneva, Van Buren 
West Haven. Shiawassee 
West Leroy, Calhoun 
West Milan, Monroe 



West Novi, Oakland 
West Ogden, Lenawee 
Weston, Lenawee 
Westphalia, Clinton 
West Windsor, Eaton 
We.xford, We.xford 
Wheatland Centre, Hillsdale 
Wheeler, Gratiot 
Whiteford Centre, Monroe 
Whitehall, Mnsketon 
White Lake, Oakland 
White Oak, Ingham 
White Pigeon, St. Joseph 
White Rock, Muskegon 
Whitesburgh, Genesee 
Whitmore Lake, Washtenaw 
Williams, Bay 

Williamsburgh, Grand Tra- 
verse 
Williarastown, Ingham 
Williamsville, Cass 
W^indsor, Eaton 
Winfield, Ingham 
Winn, Isabella 
Wiota, Isabella 
Wood Lake, Montcalm 
Woodland, Barry 
Wood's Corners, Ionia 
Woodstock, Lenawee 
W^orth, Tuscula 
Wyandotte, Wayne 
Yankee Spring, Barry 
Yew, Wayne 
York, Washtenaw 
Yorkville, Kalamazoo 
Ypsilanti,* Washtenaw 
Yuba, Grand Traverse 
Zeeland, Ottawa 
Zilwaukee, Saginaw 



CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. 



ARTICLE I. 



BODNDARIES. 



The State of Michigan consists of, and has jurisdiction over, the territory 
embraced within the following boundaries, to wit : Commencing at a point 
on the eastern boundary Ihie of the State of Indiana, where a direct line 
drawn from the southern extremity of Lake Michigan to the most northerly 
cape of the Maumee Bay shall intersect the same — said point being the 
north-west corner of the State of Ohio, as established by act of Congress, 
entitled "An act to establish the northern boundary line of the State of 
Ohio, and to provide for the admission of the State of Michigan into the 
Union upon the conditions therein expressed," approved June fifteenth, 
one thousand eight hundred and thirty-six ; thence with the saitl boundary 
line of the State of Ohio till it intersects the boundary line between the 
United States and Canada in Lake Erie; thence with said boundary line be- 
tween the United States and Canada through the Detroit river, Lake Huron 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 527 

and Lake Superior to a point where the said line last touches Lake Superior; 
thence in a direct line throusrli Lake Superior to the mouth of the ^lontreal 
river; thcMice tlirougli the middle of the main channel of the said river ^Mon- 
treal to the head waters thereof ; thence in a direct line to the center of the 
channel between Middle and South Islands, in the Lake of the Desert ; 
thence in a direct line to the southern shore of Lake Brule ; thence along 
said southern shore, and down the river Brule to the main channel of the 
Menomonee river; thence down the center of the main channel of the same 
to the center of the most usual ship channel of the Green Bay of Lake INIich- 
igan; thence through the center of the most usual ship channel of the said bay- 
to the middle of Lake INIichigan ; thence through the middle of Lake INIich- 
igan to the northern boundary of the State of Indiana, as that line was 
established by the act of Congress of the nineteenth of April, eighteen hun- 
dred and sixteen; thence due east with the northern boundary line of the 
said State of Indiana to the north-east corner thereof; and thence south 
with the eastern boundary line of Indiana to the place of beginning. 

ARTICLE II. 

SKAT OF OOVEKNMENT. 

Secfion 1. The seat of government shall be at Lansing, where it is now 
established. 

ARTICLE ni. 

DIVISION OF THE POWERS OF GOVERNMENT. 

Section 1. The powers of government are divided into three departments: 
the legislative, executive, and judicial. 

Sec. 2. No person belonging to one department shall exercise the powers 
properly belonging to another, except in the cases expressly provided in 
this constitution. 

ARTICLE IV. 

LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT. 

Section 1. The legislative power is vested in a Senate and House of Rep- 
resentatives. 

Sec. 2. The Senate shall consist of thirty-two members. Senators shall 
be elected for two years, and by single districts. Such districts shall be 
numbered from one to thirty-two inclusive ; each of which shall choose one 
senator. No county shall be divided in the formation of senate districts, 
except such county shall be equitably entitled to two or more senators. 

Sec. 3. The House of Representatives sliall consist of not less than sixty- 
four, nor more than one hundred members. Representatives shall be chosen 
for two years, and by single districts. Each representative district shall 
contain, as nearly as may be, an equal number of white inhabitants, and 
civilized persons of Indian descent, not members of any tribe, and sliall 
consist of convenient and contiguous territory. But no townshij) or city 
shall be divided in the formation of a representative district. When any 
township or city shall contain a population which entitles it to more tlian 
one representative, then such township or city shall elect, by general ticket, 
the number of representatives to which it is entitLed. Each" countv horeaf 
ter organized, with such territory as may be attaclied thereto, shall be enti- 
tled to a separate representative wlien it has attained a popuhation equal to 
a moiety of the ratio of representation. In every county entitled to more 
than one representative, the board of supervisors shall assemble at such 
time and place as the legislature shall prescribe, and divide the same into 
representative districts, equal to the number of representatives to which 



528 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

such county is entitled by law, and shall cause to be filed iu the offices of 
the secretary of state and clerk of such county, a description of such repre- 
sentative districts, specifying the number of each district, and the popula- 
tion thereof, according to the last preceding enumeration. 

Sec. 4. The legislature shall provide by law for an enumeration of the 
inhabitants in the year eighteen hundi'cd and fifty-four, and every ten years 
thereafter, and at the first session after each enumeration so made, and also 
at the first session after each enumeration by the authority of the United 
States, the legislature shall re-arrange the senate districts, and apportion 
anew the representatives among the counties and districts, according to the 
number of white inhabitants, and civilized persons of Indian descent, not 
members of any tribe. Each apportionment and the division into re])resen- 
tative districts, by any board of supervisors, shall remain unaltered until 
the return of another enumeration. 

Sec. 5. Senators and representatives shall be citizens of the United States, 
and qualified electors in the respective counties and districts which they 
represent. A removal from their respective counties or districts shall be 
deemed a vacation of their office. 

Sec. 6. No person holding any office under the United States [or this 
State,] or any county office, except notaries public, officers of the militia, 
and officers elected by townships, shall be eligible to or have a seat in either 
house of the legislature; and all votes given for any such pei'sou shall be 
void. 

Sec. 7. Senators and representatives shall, in all cases, except treason, 
felony, or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest. They shall not 
be subject to any civil process during the session of the legislature, or for 
fifteen days next before the commencement and after the termination of each 
session. They shall not be questioned in any other place for any speech in 
either house. 

Sec. 8. A majority of each house shall constitute a quorum to d-o business; 
but a snuiller number may adjourn from day to day, and compel the attend- 
ance of absent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each 
house may prescribe. 

Sec. 9. Each house shall choose its own officers, determine the rules of 
its proceedings, and judge of the qualifications, elections, and returns of its 
mendiers; and may, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members 
elected, expel a member. No member sliall be expelled a second time for 
the same cause, nor for any cause known to his constituents antecedent to 
his election. The reason for such expulsion shall be entered upon the jour- 
nal, with the names of the members voting on the question. 

Sec. 10. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and pub- 
lish the same, except such parts as may require secrecy. The yeas and 
nays of tlie members of either house, on any question, shall be entered on 
the journal at the request of one-fifth of the members elected. Any mem- 
ber of either house may dissent from and protest against any act, proceed- 
ing, or resolution which he may deem injurious to any person or the public, 
and have the reason of his dissent entered on the journal. 

Sec. 11. In all elections by either house, or in joint convention, the votes 
shall be given t'/ca wee. All votes on nominations to the senate shall be 
taken by yeas and nays, and published with the journal of its proceedings. 

Sec. 12. The doors of each house shall be open, unless the public welfare 
require secrecy. Neither house shall, without the consent of the other, 
adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than where the 
legislature may then be in session. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 529 

Sec. 13. Bills may originate in either house of the legislature. 

Sec. 14. Every bill and concurrent resolution, except of adjournment, 
passed by the legislature, shall be presented to the governor before it be- 
comes a law. If he approve, he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return 
it, with his objections, to the house in which it originated, which shall enter 
the objections at large upon their journal, and reconsider it. On such re- 
consideration, if two-thirds of the nicn)l)ers elected agree to pass the bill, 
it shall be sent, with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall be 
reconsidered. If approved by two-thirds of the members elected to that 
house, it shall become a law. In such case, the vote of both houses shall 
be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the members voting for 
and against the bill shall be entered on the journals of each house respect- 
ively. If any bill be not returned by the governor within ten days, Sun- 
days excepted, after it has been presented to him, the same shall become a 
law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the legislature, by their 
adjournment, prevent its return, in which case it shall not become a law. 
The governor may approve, sign, and file in the office of the secretary of 
State, within five days after the adjournment of the legislature, any act 
passed during the last five days of the session ; and the same shall become 
a law. 

See. 15. The compensation for the members of the legislature shall be 
three dollars a day Ibr actual attendance, jiind when absent on account of 
sickness, f»r the first sixty days of the session of the year one thousand 
eight hundred and fifty-one, and for the first f>rty days of every subsequent 
session, and nothing thereafter. When convened in extra session, their 
compensation shall be three dollars a day for the first twenty days, and 
nothing thereafter ; and they shall legislate on no other subjects than those 
expressly stated in the governor's proclamation, or submitted to them by 
special message. They shall be entitled to ten cents, and no more, for every 
mile actually travelled, going to and returning from the place of meeting, 
on the usually travelled route ; and for stationery and newspapers, not ex- 
ceeding five dollars for each member during any session. Each member 
shall be entitled to one copy of the laws, journals, and documents of the 
legislature of which he was a member, but shall not receive, at the expense 
of the State, books, newspapers, or other perquisites of office not expressly 
authorized by this constitution. 

Sec. U). The legislature may provide by law for the payment of postage 
on all mailable matter received by its members and (jfficers during the ses- 
sions of the legislature, but not on any sent or mailed by them. 

Sec. 17. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives shall be entitled to the same per diem compensation and 
mileage as members of the legislature, and no more. 

Sec. 18. No person elected a member of the legislature shall receive any 
civil appointment within this State, or to the Senate of the United States, 
from the governor, the governor and senate, from the legislature, or any 
other State authority, during the term for which he is elected. All such 
ap]ioiutments, and all votes given for any persim so elected for any such 
office or appointment, shall be void. Ko mend)er of the legislature shall be 
interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract with the State, or any 
county thereof, authorized by any law passed during the time for which he 
is elected, nor for one year thereafter. 

Sec. 19. Every bill and joint resolution shall be read three times in each 
house before the final passage thereof No bill or joint resolution shall 
become a law without the concurrence of a majority of all the members 
2 H 



530 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

elected to each house. On the final passage of all bills the vote shall be by 
yeas and nays, and entered on the journal. 

Sec. 20. No law shall embrace more than one object, which shall be ex- 
pressed in its title. No public acts shall take effect or be in force until the 
expiration of ninety days from the end of the session at which tlie same is 
passed, unless the legislature shall otherwise direct, by a two-thirds vote of 
the members elected to each house. 

Sec. 21. The legislature shall not grant nor authorize extra compensation 
to any public officer, agent, or contractor, after the service has been ren- 
dered or the contract entered into. 

Sec. 22. The leijislature shall provide by law that the furnishing of fuel 
and stationery for the use of the State, the printing and binding the laws 
and journals, all blanks, paper and printing for the executive departments, 
and all other printing ordered by the legislature, shall be let by contract to 
the lowest bidder or bidders, Avho shall give adequate and satisfactory secu- 
rity for the performance thereof. The legislature shall prescribe by law 
the manner in which the State printing shall be executed, and the accounts 
rendered therefor, and shall prohibit all charges for constructive labor. 
They shall not rescind nor alter such contract, nor release the person or 
persons taking the same, or his or their sureties, from the performance of 
any of the conditions of the contract. No member of the legislature nor 
officer of the State shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in any such 
contract. 

Sec. 23. The legislature shall not authorize, by private or special law, the 
sale or conveyance of any real estate belonging to any person, nor vacate 
nor alter any road laid out by commissioners of highways, or any street in 
any city or village, or in any recorded town plat. 

Sec. 24. The legislature may authorize the employment of a chaplain for 
the State prison ; but no money shall be a])j)ropriated for the payment of 
any religious services in either house of the legislature. 

Sec. 25. No law shall be revised, altered, or amended by reference to its 
title only : but the act revised, and the section or sections of the act altered 
or amended, shall be re-enacted and published at length. 

Sec. 26. Divorces shall not be granted by the legislature. 

Sec. '11. The legislature shall not authorize any lottery, nor permit the 
gale of lottery tickets. 

Sec. 28. No new bill shall be introduced into cither house during the last 
three days of the session without the unanimous consent of the house in 
which it originates. 

Sec. 29. In case of a contested election, the person only shall receive from 
the State per diem compensation and mileage, who is declared to be entitled 
to a scat by the house in which the contest takes place. 

Sec. 30. No collector, holder, nor disburscr of public moneys, shall have 
a seat in the legislature, or be eligible to any office of trust or profit under 
this State, until he shall have accounted for and paid over, as provided by 
law, all sums for which he may be liable. 

Sec. 31. The legislature shaU not audit nor allow any private claim or 
account. 

Sec. 32. The legislature, on the day of final adjournment, shall adjourn 
at twelve o'clock at noon. 

Sec. 33. The legislature shall meet at the seat of government on the first 
Wednesday in February next, and on the first Wednesday in January of 
every second year thereafter, and at no other place or time, unless as pro- 
vided iu this constitution. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 531 

Sec. 34. The election of senators and representatives, pursuant to the ])ro- 
visions of this constitution, shall be held on the Tuesday succeeding the first 
IMonday of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty- 
two, and on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday of November of every 
second year tliereafter. 

Sec. 35. The legislature shall not establish a State paper. Every news- 
paper in the State which shall publish all the general laws of any session 
within forty days of their passage, shall be entitled to receive a sum not 
exceeding fifteen dollars therefor. 

Sec. 36. The legislature shall provide for the speedy publication of all 
statute laws of a public nature, and of such judicial decisions as it may 
deem expedient. All laws and judicial decisions shall be free for publica- 
tion by any person. 

Sec. 37. The legislature may declare the cases in which any office shall be 
deemed vacant, and also the manner of filling the vacancy, where no pro- 
vision is made for that purjjose in this constitution. 

Sec. 38. The legislature may confer upon organized townships, incorpora- 
ted cities and villages, and upon the board of supervisors of the several 
counties, such powers of a local, legislative, and administrative character 
as they may deem proper. 

Sec. 39. The legislature shall pass no law to prevent any person from 
■\vorshipi)ing Almighty God according to the dictates of his own conscience, 
or to compel any person to attend, erect, or support, any place of religious 
worshij), or to pay tithes, taxes, or other rates, for the support of any min- 
ister of the gospel or teacher of religion. 

See. 40. No money shall be appropriated or drawn from the treasury for 
the benefit of any religious sect or society, theological or religious seminary, 
nor shall property belonging to the State be appropriated for any such 
purposes. 

Sec. 41. The legislature shall not diminish or enlarge the civil or political 
rights, privileges, and capacities, of any person on account of his opinion 
or belief concerning matters of religion. 

Sec. 42. No law shall ever be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of 
speech or cf the press; but every person may freely speak, write, and pul)- 
lish, his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of such 
right. 

Sec. 43. The legislature shall pass no bill of attainder, ex-post facto law, 
or law impairing the obligation of contracts. 

Sec. 44. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus remains, and shall not 
be suspended by the legislature, except in case of rebellion or invasion the 
public safety require it. 

Sec. 4o. The assent of two-thirds of the members elected to each house 
of the legislature shall be requisite to every bill appropriating the public 
money or property, for local or private purposes. 

Sec. 46. The legislature may authorize a trial by a jury of a less number 
than twelve nien. 

Sec. 47. The legislature shall not pass any act authorizing the grant of 
license for the sale of ardent spirits or other intoxicating liquors. 

Sec. 4^. The style of the laws shall be, " The people of the State of IMich- 
igan enact." 

ARTICLE v. 

EXECCTIVR DKPAIITMENT. 

Section 1. The executive power is vested in a governor, who shall hold 



532 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

his office for two years. A lieutenant governor shall be chosen for the 
same term. 

Sec. 2. No person shall be eligible to the office of governor or lieutenant 
governor, who has not been five years a citizen of the United States, and 
a resident of this State two years next preceding his election ; nor shall 
any pei-son be eligible to either office who has not attained the age of 
thirty years. 

See. 3. The governor and lieutenant governor shall be elected at the times 
and places of choosing the members of the legislature. The person having 
the highest number of votes for governor or lieutenant governor, shall be 
elected. In case two or more persons shall have an equal and the highest 
number of votes for governor or lieutenant governor, the legislature shall, 
by joint vote, choose one of such persons. 

See. 4. The governor shall be commander-in-chief of the military and 
naval forces, and may call out such forces to execute the laws, to suppress 
insurrections, and to repel invasions. 

Sec. 5. He shall transact all necessary business with officers of govern- 
ment, nnd may require information, in writing, from the officers of the 
executive department, upon any subject relating to the duties of their 
respective offices. 

Sec. (y. He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed. 

Sec. 7. He may convene the legislature on extraordinary occasions. 

Sec. 8. He shall give to the legislature, and at the close of his official 
term, to the next legislature, information by message of the condition of the 
State, and recommend such measures to them as he shall deem expedient. 

Sec. 9. He may convene the legislature at some other place, when the seat 
of government becomes dangerous from disease or a comtnon enemy. 

Sec. 10. He shall issue, writs of election to fill such vacancies as occur in 
the senate or house of representatives. 

Sec. 11. He may grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons, after con- 
victions, for all offenses except treason and cases of impeachment, upon such 
conditions, and with such restrictions and limitations, as he may think 
proj)er, subject to regulations provided by law, relative to the manner of 
applying for pardons. Upon conviction for treason, he may suspend the 
execution of the sentence, until the case shall be rei)()rted to the legislature 
at its next session, when the legislature shall either pardon, or commute the 
sentence, direct the execution of the sentence, or grant a further reprieve. 
He shall communicate to the legislature, at each session, information of 
each case of reprieve, commutation, or pardon granted, and the reasons 
therefor. 

Sec. 12. In case of the impeachment of the governor, his removal from 
office, death, inability, resignation, or absence from the State, the powers 
and duties of the office shall devolve upon the lieutenant governor for the 
residue of the term, or until the disability ceases. When the governor shall 
be out of the State in time of war, at the head of a military force thereof, 
he shall continue commander-in-chief of all the military force of the State. 

Sec. 13. During a vacancy in the office of governor, if the lieutenant 
governor die, resign, be impeached, displaced, be incapable of performing 
the duties of his office, or absent from the State, the president /^ro tempore 
of the senate shall act as governor, until the vacancy be filled, or the dis- 
ability cease. 

Sec. 14. The lieutenant governor shall, by virtue of his office, be presi- 
dent of the senate. In committee of the whole he may debate all ques- 
tions; and when there is au et|uul division, he shall give the casting vote. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 533 

Sec. 15. No member of congress, nor any person holding office under the 
United States, or this State, shall execute the office of governor. 

Sec. 16, No person elected governor or lieutenant governor, shall bo eli- 
gible to any office or appointment from the legislature, or either house 
thereof, during the time for which he was elected. All votes for either of 
them, for any such office, shall be void. 

Sec. 17. The lieutenant [governor,] and president of the senate pro tem- 
pore, when performing the duties of governor, shall receive the same com- 
pensation as the governor. 

Sec. 18. All official acts of the governor, his approval of the laws excepted, 
shall be authenticated by the great seal of the State, whicli shall be kept 
by the secretary of State. 

Sec. 19. All commissions issued to persons holding office under the i)ro- 
visions of this constitution, shall be in the name and by the authority of the 
people of the State of ^Michigan, sealed with the great seal of tiie State, 
signed by the governor, and countersigned by the secretary of State. 

ARTICLE VI. 

JUDICIAL DEPAIITMENT. 

Section 1. The judicial ])ower is vested in one supreme court, in circuit 
courts, in probate courts, and in justices of the peace. Municipal courts of 
civil and criminal jurisdiction may be established by the legislature in 
cities. 

Sec. 2. For the term of six years, and thereafter until the legislature 
otherwise provide, the judges of the several circuit courts shall be judges of 
the supreme court, four of whom shall constitute a quorum. A concurrence 
of three shall be necessary to a final decision. After six years, the legis- 
lature nuiy provide by law for the organization of a supreme court, with 
the jurisdiction and powers prescribed in this constitution, to consist of one 
chief justice and tliree associate justices, to be chosen by the electors of 
the State. Such supreme court, when so organized, shall not be changed 
or discontinued by the legislature for eight years thereafter. The judges 
thereof shall be so classified that but one of them shall go out of office 
at the same time. Their term of office shall be eight years. 

Sec. H. The supreme court shall have a general superintending control 
over all inferior courts, and shall have power to issue writs of error, habeas 
corpus, mandanuis, quo warranto, [)rocedendo, and other original and 
remedial writs, and to hear and determine the same. In all other cases it 
shall have aj)pellate jurisdiction <jnly. 

Sec. 4. Four terms of the supreme court shall be held auiuially, at such 
times and places as may be designated by law. 

Sec. ;"). The supreme court shall, by general rules, establish, modify, and 
amend the practice in such court and in the circuit courts, and situ[)lity the 
same. The legislature shall, as far as practicable, abolish distinctions 
between law and equity proceedings. The office of master in chancery is 
pa-ohibited. 

Sec. G. The State shall be divided into eight judicial circuits; in each 
of whicli the electors thereof shall elect one circuit judge, who shall hold 
liis office for the term of six years, and until his successor is elected and 
qualified. 

Sec. 7. The legislature may alter the limits of circuits, or increase the 
number of the same. No alteration or increase shall have the etfect to 
remove a judge from office. In every additional circuit established, the 
judge shall be elected by the electors of such circuit, and his term of 



534 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

office sliall continue, as provided in this constitution fur judges of tlic cir- 
cuit court. 

See. 8. The circuit courts shall have original jurisdiction in all matters, 
civil and criminal, not excepted in this constitution, and not ])rohibited by 
law; and appellate jurisdiction from all inferior courts and tribunals, and 
a supervisory control of the same. They shall also have power to issue 
writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, injunction, quo warranto, certiorari, and 
other writs necessary to carry into efrect their orders, judgments and de- 
crees, and give them a general control over inferior courts and tribunals 
wilhin their respective jurisdictions. 

See. 9. Each of the judges of the circuit courts shall receive a salary 
payable quarterly. They shall be ineligible to any other than a judicial 
office during the term f)r which they are elected, and for one year there- 
after. All votes f)r any pei'son elected such judge for any office other than 
judicial, given either by the legislature or the people, shall be void. 

Sec. 10. The supreme court may appoint a reporter of its decisions. The 
decisions of the supreme court shall be in writing, and signed by tiie judges 
concurring therein. Any judge dissenting therefrom, shall give the reasons 
of such dissent in writing, under his signature. All such opinions shall 
be filed in the office of the clerk of the supreme court. Tiie judges of the 
circuit court, within their respective jurisdictions, may fill vacancies in the 
office of county clerk and of prosecuting attorney ; but no judge of the 
supreme court, or circuit court, shall exercise auy other power of appoint- 
ment to public office. 

Sec. 11. A circuit court shall be held at least twice each year in every 
county organized for judicial purposes, and four times in each year in coun- 
ties containing ten thousand inhabitants. Judges of tiie circuit court may 
hold courts for each other, and shall do so when required by law. 

Sec. 12. The clerk of each county organized for judicial purposes, shall 
be the clerk of the circuit court of such county, and of the supreme court 
when held within the same.' 

Sec. 13. In each of the counties organized for judicial pui'poses, there 
shall be a court of jorobate. The judge of such court shall be elected by 
the electors of the county in which he resides, and shall hold his office for 
four years, and until his successor is elected and qualified. The jurisdic- 
tion, powers and duties of such court shall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. \A. When a vacancy occurs in the office of judge of the supreme, 
circuit, or probate court, it shall be filled by appointment of the gov- 
ernor, which shall continue until a successor is elected and qualified. 
When elected, such successor shall hold his office the residue of the unex- 
pired terra. 

Sec. 15. The supreme court, the circuit and probate courts of each county, 
shall be courts of record, and shall each have a common seal. 

Sec. 16. The legislature may provide by law for the election of one or 
more persons in each organized county, who may be vested with judicial 
powers, not exceeding those of a judge of the circuit court at chambers. 

Sec. 17. There shall be not exceeding four justices of tiie peace in each 
organized township. They shall be elected by the electors of the town- 
ships, and shall hold their offices for f )ur years, and until their successors 
are elected and (lualified. At the first election in any township, they shall 
be classified as shall be prescribed by law. A justice elected to fill a va- 
cancy shall hold his office f)r the residue of the unexpii*ed term. The 
legislature may increase the number of justices in cities. 

Sec. 18. In civil cases, justices of the peace shall have exclusive juris- 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 535 

diction to the amount of one Imntlred dollars, and concurrent jurisdiction 
to the amount of three hundred dollars, which may be increased to five 
hundred dollars, with such exceptions and restrictions as may be provided 
by law. They shall also have such criminal jurisdiction, and perform such 
duties as shall be prescribed by the leaislature. 

Sec. 19. Judges of the supreme court, circuit judges, and justices of the 
peace, shall be conservators of the ])eace within their respective jurisdictions. 

Sec. 20. The first election of judges of the circuit courts shall be held on 
the first Alonday in April, one thousand eight hundred and fiftv-one, and 
every sixth year thereafter. Whenever an additional circuit is created, 
provision shall be made to hold the subsequent election of such additional 
judges at the regular election herein provided. 

Sec. 21. The first election of judges of the probate courts shall be held 
on the Tuesday succeeding the first IMonday of November, one thousand 
eight hundred and fil'ty-two, and every fourth year thereafter. 

Sec. 22. Whenever a judge shall remove beyond the limits of the juris- 
diction fi)r Avhich he was elected, or a justice of the peace from the town- 
ship in which he was elected, or by a change in the boundaries of such 
township shall be placed without the same, they shall be deemed to have 
vacated their respective offices. 

Sec. 23. The legislature may establish courts of conciliation, with such 
powers and duties as shall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 24. Any suitor in any court of tins State shall have the right to 
prosecute or defend his suit, either in his own proper person or by an attor- 
ney or agent of his choice. 

Sec. 25. In all ])rosecutions for libels, the truth may be given in evidence 
to the jury ; and if it shall appear to the jury that the matter charged as 
libelous is true, and was published with good motives and for justifiable 
ends, the party shall be acquitted. The jury shall have the right to deter- 
mine the law and the fact. 

Sec. 26. The j)erson, houses, papers, and possessions of every person shall 
be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures. No warrant to search 
any place or to seize any person or things shall issue without describing 
them, nor without probable cause, sui)])orted by oath or aftirnuition. 

Sec. 27. The right of trial by jury shall remain, but shall be deemed to 
be waived in all civil cases, unless demanded by one of the parties, in such 
manner as shall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 28. In every criminal prosecution the accused shall have the right 
to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jurj', which may consist of less 
than twelve men in all courts not of record ; to be informed of the nature 
of the accusation; to be confroute<l with the witnesses against him; to 
have compulsory process fir obtaining witnesses in his favor, and have the 
assistance of counsel for his defense. 

Sec. 29. No person, after acquittal upon the merits, shall be tried i'nr the 
same oflense; all persons shall, before conviction, be bailable by sufficient 
sureties, except for murder and treason, when the proof is evident or the 
presunijition great. 

Sec. 30. Treason against the State shall consist only in IcN-^-ing war 
against [it,] or in adhering to its enemies, giving them aid and coinf )rt. 
No person shall be convicted of treason unless upon the testimony of two 
witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. 

Sec. 31. Excessive bail shall not be required ; excessive fines shall not be 
imposed ; cruel or unusual ])unishmeut shall not be inflicted, nor shall wit- 
nesses be unreasonably detained. 



536 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

Sec. 32. No person shall be compelled, in any criminal case, to be a wit- 
ness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without 
due process of law. 

Sec. 33. No person shall be imprisoned for debt arising out of or founded 
on a contract, express or implied, except in cases of fraud or breach of 
trust, or of moneys collected by public officers, or in any professional em- 
ployment. No person shall be imprisoned for a militia fine in time of 
peace. 

Sec. 34. No person shall be rendered incompetent to be a witness on 
account of his opinions on matters of religious belief. 

Sec. 35. The style of all process shall be : " In the name of the people of 
the State of Michigan." 



ARTICLE VII. 

ELECTIONS. 

Section 1. In all elections every white male citizen, every white male 
inhabitant residing in the State on the twenty-fourth day of June, one thou- 
sand eight hundred and thirty-five ; every white male inhabitant residing 
in this State on the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and 
fifty, who has declared his intention to become a citizen of the United 
States, pursuant to tlie laws thereof, six months preceding an election, or 
who has resided in this State two years and six months, and declared his 
intention as aforesaid ; and every civilized male inhabitant of Indian 
descent, a native of the United States, and not a member of any tribe, shall 
be an elector and entitled to vote; but no citizen or inhabitant shall be an 
elector, or entitled to vote at any election, unless he shall be above the age 
of twenty-one years, and has resided in this State three months, and in the 
township or ward in which he offers to vote, ten days next preceding such 
election. 

Sec. 2. All votes shall be given by ballot, except for such township offi- 
cers as may be authorized by law to be otherwise chosen. 

Sec. 3. Every elector, in all cases except treason, felony, or breach of the 
peace, shall be privileged from arrest during his attendance at election, 
and going to and returning from the same. 

Sec. 4. No elector sliull be obliged to do military duty on the day of 
election, except in time of war or public danger, or attend court as a suitor 
or witness. 

Sec. 5. No elector shall be deemed to have gained or lost a residence by 
reason of his being employed in the service of the United States, or of this 
State ; nor while engaged in the navigation of the waters of this State or 
of the United States, or of tiie high seas; nor while a student of any sem- 
inary of learning; nor while kept at any alms-house or other asylum at 
public exi)ense ; nor while confined in any public prison. 

Sec. 6. Laws may be passed to preserve the purity of elections, and guard 
against abuses of the elective franchise. 

Sec. 7. No soldier, seaman, nor marine in the army or navy of the Uni- 
ted States shall be deemed a resident of this State in consequence of being 
staticmcd in any military or naval place within the same. 

Sec. 8. Any inhabitant wlio may hereafter be engaged in a duel, cither 
as principal or accessory before the fact, shall be disf(ualified from liolding 
any office under the constitution and laws of this State, and shall not be 
permitted to vote at any election. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 637 

ARTICLE VIII. 

STATE OFFICERS. 

Section 1. There shall be elected at each general hiennial election a sec- 
retary of State, a superintendent of public instruction, a State treasurer, a 
commissioner of the land office, an auditor general, and an attorney gene- 
ral, for the term of two years. They shall keep their offices at the seat of 
government, and shall ])eri'orni such duties as may be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 2. Their term of office shall commence on the first day of January, 
one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, and of every second year 
therealter. 

Sec. 3. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in any of the State offices, the 
governor shall fill the same by a])pointment, by and with the consent of 
the Senate, if in session. 

Sec. 4. The secretary of State, State treasurer, and commissioner of the 
State land oflice shall constitute a board of State auditors, to examine and 
adjust all claims against the State not otherwise provided fi)r by general 
law. They shall constitute a board of State canvassers to determine the 
result of all elections for governor, lieutenant governor, and State officers, 
and of such other officers as shall by law be referred to them. 

Sec. 5. In case two or more persons have an equal and the highest num- 
ber of votes for any office, as canvassed by the board of State canvassers, 
the legislature in joint convention shall choose one of such persons to fill 
such office. When the determination of the board of State canvassers is 
contested, the legislature in joint convention shall decide which person is 
elected. 

ARTICLE IX, 

SALARIES. 

Section 1. The governor shall receive an annual salary of one thousand 
dollars; the judges of the circuit court shall each receive an annual salary 
of one thousand five hundred dollars; the State treasurer shall receive an 
annual salary of one thousand dollars; the auditor general shall receive an 
annual salary of one thousand dollars; the superintendent of public in- 
struction shall receive an annual salary of one thousand dollars; the secre- 
tary of State shall receive an annual salary of eight hundred dollars ; the 
commissioner of the land office shall receive an annual salary of eight hun- 
dred dollars; tlie attorney general shall receive an annual salary of eight 
hundred ilollars. They shall receive no fees or penpiisites whatever, for the 
perfi)rmance of any duties connected with their offices. It shall not be com- 
petent for the legislature to increase the salaries iiereiu provided. 

ARTICLE X. 



Sectio7i 1. Each organized county shall be a body corporate, with such 
powers and immunities as shall be established by law. All suits and pro- 
ceedings by or against a county shall be in the name thereof 

Sec. 2. No organized county shall ever be reduced by the organization of 
new^ counties to less than sixteen townships, as surveyed by the United 
States, unless, in pursuance of law, a majority of electors residing in each 
county to be afl'ected thereby shall so decide. The legislature may organ- 
ize any city into a separate county, when it has attained a population of 
iweuty thousand inhabitants, without reference to geographical extent, when 
2 11 * 



538 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

a majority of the electors of a county in Avhich such city may be situated, 
voting thereon, shall be in favor of a separate organization. 

Sec. 3. In each organized county there shall be a sheriff, a county clerk, 
a county treasurer, a register of deeds, and a prosecuting attorney, chosen 
by the electors thereof, once in two years, and as often as vacancies shall 
happen, whose duties and powers shall be prescribed by law. The board 
of supervisors in any county may unite the offices of county clerk and regis- 
ter of deeds in one office, or disconnect the same. 

Sec. 4. The sheriff, county clerk, county treasurer, judge of probate, and 
register of deeds, shall hokl their offices at the county seat. 

Sec. 5. The sheriff shall hold no other office, and shall be incapable of 
holding the office of sheriff longer than four in any period of six years, 
lie may be I'equired by law to renew his security from time to time, and in 
default of giving such security, his office shall be deemed vacant. The 
county shall never be responsible for his acts. 

Sec. 6. A board of supervisors, consisting of one from each organized 
township, shall be established in each county, with such powers as shall be 
prescribed by law. 

See. 7. Cities shall have such representation in the board of supervisors 
of the counties iji which they are situated, as the legislature may direct. 

Sec. 8. No county seat once established shall be removed until the place 
to which it is proposed to be removed shall be designated by two-thirds of 
the board of supervisors of the county, and a majority of the electors vot- 
ing thereon shall have voted in favor of the proposed location, in such man- 
ner as shall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 9. The board of supervisors of any county may borrow or raise by 
tax one thousand dollars, for constructing or repairing public buildings, 
highways or bridges ; but no greater sum shall be borrowed or raised by 
tax for such purpose in any one year, unless authorized by a majority of the 
electors of such county voting thereon. 

Sec. 10. The board of supervisors, or, in the county of Wayne, the board 
of county auditors, shall have the exclusive power to prescribe and fix the 
compensation for all services rendered for, and to adjust all claims against, 
their respective counties ; and the sum so fixed or defined shall be subject 
to no appeal. 

Sec. 11. The board of supervisors of each organized county may provide 
for laying out highways, constructing bridges, and organizing townships, 
under such restrictions and limitations as shall be prescribed by law. 

ARTICLE XI. 

TOWNSHIPS. 

Section 1. There shall be elected annually, on the first Monday of April, 
in each organized township, one supervisor, one township clerk, who shall 
be, ex-ofielo, school inspector, one commissioner of highways, one township 
treasurer, one school inspector, not exceeding four constables, and one over- 
seer of highways for each highway district, whose powers and duties shall 
be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 2. Each organized township shall bo a body corporate, v.-ith such 
powers and immunities as shall be prescribed bylaw. All suits and pro- 
ceedings by or against a township shall be in the name thereof. 

AllTICLE XII. 

IMPEACHMENTS AND REMOVALS FHOM OFFICE. 

Section 1. The house of representatives shall have the sole power of im- 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 539 

peaching civil officers for corrupt conduct in office, or for crimes and mis- 
demeanors; but a nuijority of the members elected shall be necessary to 
direct an impeachment. 

Sec. 2. Every impeachment shall be tried by the senate. When the gov- 
ernor or lieutenant governor is tried, the chief justice of the supreme court 
shall jireside. Wiien an impeachment is directed, tlie senate sluill take an 
oath or affirmation truly and impartially to try and determine the same 
according to the evidence. No person shall be convicted without the con- 
currence of two-thirds of the members elected. Judgment in case of im- 
poachment slmll not extend further than removal from otHce; but the party 
convicted sliall be liable to punishment according to law. 

Sec. 3. When an imj)eachment is directed, the house of representatives 
shall elect from their own body three members, whose duty it shall be to 
prosecute such impeachment. No impeachment shall be tried until the 
final adjournment of the legislature, wheu the senate will proceed to try 
the same. 

Sec. 4. No judicial officer shall exercise his office after an impeachment 
is directed, until he is ac(piitted. 

Sec. 5. The governor nmy make a provisional appointment to fill a va- 
cancy occasioned by the suspension of an officer until he shall be acquitted, 
or until after the election and qualification of a successor. 

Sec. 6. For reasonable cause, which shall not be sufficient ground for the 
impeachment of a judge, the governor shall remove him on a concurrent 
resolution of two-thirds of the mend)ers elected to each house of the legis- 
lature ; but the cause f )r which such removal is required, shall be stated 
at length in such resolution. 

Sec. 7. The legislature shall provide by law for the removal of any officer 
elected by a county, townsiiip or school district, in such manner and for 
such cause as to them shall seem just and proper. 

ARTICLE XIII. 

EDUCATION. 

Section 1. The superintendent of public instruction shall have the gen- 
eral supervision of public instruction, and his duties shall be prescribed by 
law. 

Sec. 2. The proceeds from the sales of all lands that have been or here- 
after may be granted by the United States to the State, for educational 
purp(jses, and the proceeds of all lands or other property given by indi- 
viduals, or appropriated by the State for like purposes, shall be and re- 
main a perpetual fund, the interest and income of which, together with the 
rents of all such lands as may remain unsold, shall be inviolably appro- 
priated and annually applied to the specific objects of the original gift, 
grant or appro|)riation. 

Sec. 3. AH lands, the titles to which shall fall from a defect of heirs, 
shall escheat to the State; and the interest on the clear proceeds from the 
sales thereof, shall be apprtipriated exclusively to the support of primary 
schools. 

Sec. I. The legislature shall, with'n five years from the ailo])ti<>n ol' this 
constitution, provide for and establish a system of prinuiry schools, whereby 
a school shall be kept without charge for tuition, at least three nivwiths in 
each year, in every school district in the State; and all instruction in said 
schools shall be conducted in the English language. 

Sec. 5. A school shall be nuiintaiued in each school district at least three 



540 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

months in each year. Any school district neglecting to maintain such 
school, shall be deprived for the ensuing year of its proportion of the in- 
come of the primary school fund, and of all funds arising from taxes for 
the support of schools. 

Sec. 6. There shall be elected in each judicial circuit, at the time of the 
election of the judge of such circuit, a regent of the university, Avhose term 
of office shall be the same as that of such judge. The regents thus elected 
shall constitute the board of regents of the University of Michigan. 

Sec. 7. The regents of the university, and their successors in office, shall 
continue to constitute the body corporate, known by the name and title of 
"The Regents of the University of Michigan." 

Sec. 8. The regents of the university shall, at their first annual meeting, 
or as soon thereafter as may be, elect a president of the university, who 
shall be ex-officio a member of their board, with the privilege of speaking, 
but not of voting, lie shall preside at the meetings of the regents, and be 
the principal executive officer of the university. Tlie board of regents 
shall have the general supervision of the university, and the direction and 
contrv)l of all expenditures from the university interest fund. 

Sec. 9. There shall be elected at the general election in the year one 
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, three members of a State board of 
education, one for two years, one for four years, and one for six years ; and 
at each succeeding biennial election there shall be elected one member of 
such board, who shall hold his office for six years. The superintendent of 
public instruction shall be ex-offi.cio a member and secretary of such board. 
The board shall have the general supervision of the State normal school, 
and their duties shall be prescribed by law. 

/Sec. 10. Institutions for the benefit of those inhabitants who are deaf, 
dumb, blind, or insane, shall always be fostered and supported. 

See. 11. The legislature shall encourage the promotion of intellectual, 
scientific and agricultural improvement; and shall, as soon as practicable, 
provide for the establishment of an agricultural school. The legislature 
may appropriate the twenty-two sections of salt spring lands now unap- 
propriated, or the money arising from the sale of the same, where such 
lauds have been already sold, and any land which may hereafter be granted 
or appropriated for such purpose, for the support and maintenance of such 
school, and may make the same a branch of the university, for instruction 
in agriculture and the natural sciences connected therewith, and place the 
same un<ler the supervision of the regents of the university. 

Sec. 12. The legislature shall provide for the establishment of at least 
one library in each township; and all fines assessed and collected in the 
several counties and townships for any breach of the penal laws, shall be 
exclusively applied to the support of such libraries. 

ARTICLE XIV. 

FINANCE AND TAXATION. 

Section 1. All specific State taxes, except those received from the mining 
companies of the upper peninsular, shall be applied in paying the interest 
upon the primary s(;hool, university, and other educational funds, anil the 
interest and principal of the Slate debt in the order herein recited, until 
the extinguishment of the State debt, other than the amounts due to edu- 
cational funds, when such si)ecific taxes shall be added to, and constitute a 
part of the primary school interest fund. The legislature shall provide for 
an annual tax, sufficient, with other resources, to pay the estimated expenses 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS, 541 

of the State government, the interest of the State debt, and such deficiency 
as may occur in the resources. 

Sec. 2. The legislature shall provide by law a sinking fund of at least 
twenty thousand dollars a year, to commence in eighteen hundred and 
fifty-two, with compound interest at the rate of six per ceut. ])cr annum, 
and an annual increase of at least iive per cent., to be a[)pli(>d solely t') the 
payment and extinguishment of the principal of the State debt, other than 
the amounts due to educational funds, and shall be continued until the 
extinguishment thereof The unfunded debt shall not be funded or re- 
deemed at a value exceeding that established by law in one thousand eight 
hundred ami forty-eight. 

Sec. 3. The State may contract debts to meet deficits in revenue. Such 
debts shall not in the aggregate at any one time exceed fifty thousand dol- 
lars. The moneys so raised sluill be applied to the purposes for which they 
were obtained, or to the payment of the debts so conti-acted. 

Sec. 4. The State may contract debts to repel invasion, suppress insur- 
rection, or defend the State in time of war. The money arising from the 
contracting of such debts shall be applied to the purposes for which it was 
raised, or to repay such debts. 

Sec. 5. No money shall be paid out of the treasury, except in pursuance 
of appropriations made by law. 

Sec. 6. The credit of the State shall not be granted to, or in aid of, any 
person, association or corporation. 

Sec. 7. No scrip, certificate, or other evidence of State indebtedness shall 
be issued, except for the redemption of stock previously issued, or for such 
debts as are expressly authorized in this constitution. 

Sec. 8. The State shall not subscribe to, or be interested in, the stock of 
any company, association, or corporation. 

Sec. 9. The State shall not be a party to, or interested in, any work of 
internal improvement, or engaged in carrying on any such work, except in 
the expenditure of grants to the State of huul or other property. 

Sec. 10. The State may continue to collect all specific taxes accruing to 
the Treasury under existing laws. The legislature may provide f)r the 
ct)lh'Ction of specific taxes from banking, railroad, plank road, and other 
corporations hereafter created. 

Sec. 11. The legislature shall provide an uniform rule of taxation, except 
,on property paying specific taxes; aud taxes shall be levied on such prop- 
erty as shall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 12. All assessments hereafter authorized shall be on property at its 
cash value. 

Sec. 13. The legislature shall provide f )r an equalization by a State board 
in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, and every fifth year 
thereafter, of assessments on all taxable property, except that paying spe- 
cific taxes. 

Sec. 14. Every law which imposes, continues, or revives a tax, shall dis- 
tinctly state the tax, and the ol)ject to which it is to be applied ; and it 
shall not be sufficient to refer to any other law to fix such tax or object. 

ARTICLE XV. 

COIM'ORATIOXS. 

Sectio)i 1. Corporations may be firmed under general laws, but shall not 
be created by special act, i'xcoi)t f >r nuuiici[)al purposes. All laws passed 
pursuant to this section may be altered, amended, or repealed. 



542 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

Sec. 2. No bankinj; law, or law for banking purposes, or amendments 
thereof, shall have effect until the same shall, after its passage, be submit- 
ted to a vote of the electors of the State, at a general election, and be 
approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon at such election. 

hec. 3. The officers and stockholders of every corporation or association 
for banking purposes, issuing bank notes or paper credits to circulate as 
money, shall be individually liable for all debts contracted during the 
time of their being officers or stockholders of such corporation or asso- 
ciation. 

Sec. 4. The legislature shall provide by law for the registry of all bills 
or notes issued or put in circulation as money, and shall require security to 
the full amount of notes and bills so registered, in State or United States 
stocks bearing interest, which shall be deposited with the State treasurer fur 
the redemption of such bills or notes in specie. 

Sec. 5. In case of the insolvency of any bank or banking association, the 
bill-holders thereof shall be entitled to preference in payment, over all 
other creditors of such bank or association. 

Sec. 6. The legislature shall pass no law authorizing or sanctioning the 
suspension of specie payments by any person, association, or corporation. 

Sec. 7. The stockholders of all corporations and joint stock associations 
shall be individually liable for all labor performed for such corporation or 
association. 

Sec. 8. The legislature shall pass no law altering or amending any act of 
incorporation heretofore granted, without the assent of two-thirds of the 
members elected to each house; nor shall any such act be renewed or ex- 
tended. This restriction shall not apply to municipal corporations. 

Sec. 9. The property of no person shall be taken by any corporation for 
public use without compensation being first made or secured in such man- 
ner as may be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 10. No corporation, except for municipal purposes, or for the con- 
struction of railroads, plank roads, and canals, shall be created for a longer 
time tiian thirty years. 

/Sec. 11. Tiie term "corporation," as used in the preceding sections of 
this article, shall be construed to include all associations and joint stock 
companies having any of the powers or privileges of corporations not pos- 
sessed by individuals or partuej-ships. All corporations shall have the right 
to sue and be subject to be sued in all courts in like cases as natural per- ' 
sons. 

Sec. 12. No corporation shall hold any real estate hereafter acquired for 
a longer period than ten years, except such real estate as shall be actually 
occu|)ied by such corporation in the exercise of its franchises. 

Sec. 1.3. The legislature shall provide for the incorporation and organiza- 
tion of cities and villages, and shall restrict their powers of taxation, bor- 
rowing money, contracting debts, and loaning their credit. 

Sec. 14. Judicial officers of cities and villages shall be elected, and all 
other officers shall be elected or appointed at such time and in such manner 
as the legislature may direct. 

Sec. 15. Private property shall not be taken f )r public improvements in 
cities and villages without the consent of the owner, unless the compensa- 
tion therefor shall first be determined by a jury of freeholders, and actually 
paid or secured in the manner provided by law. 

Sec. 16. Previous notice of any application for an alteration of the char- 
tor of any corporation shall be given in such manner as may be prescribed 
by law. 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 543 

ARTICLE XVI. 

EXEMPTIONS. 

Section 1. The personal property of every resident of this State, to con- 
sist of such property only as shall be designated by law, shall be exempted 
to the amount of not less than five hundred dollars, from sale on executicin 
or other final process of any court, issued for the collection of any debt 
contracted after the adoj)tion of this constitution. 

Sec. 2. Every homestead of not exceeding forty acres of land, and the 
dwelling house thereon, and the appurtenances, to be selected by the owner 
tlicrcof, and not included in any town ])Iat, city, or village; or instead 
thereof, at the option of the owner, any lot in any city, village, or recorded 
town plat, or such parts of lots as shall be equal thereto, and the dwelling 
house thereon, and its appurtenances, owned and occupied by any resident 
of the State, not exceeding in value fifteen hundred dollars, shall be exempt 
from forced sale on execution, or any other final process from a court, fi)r 
any debt contracted after the adoption of this constitution. Such exemp- 
tion shall not extend to any mortgage thereon lawfully obtained ; but such 
mortgage or other alicnati(>n of such land by the owner thereof, if a mar- 
ried man, shall not be valid without the signature of the wife to the same. 

Sec. o. The homestead of a family, after the death of the owner thereof, 
shall be exempt from the payment of his debts, contracted after the adop- 
tion of this constitution, in all cases during the minority of his children. 

Sec. 4. If the owner of a homestead die, leaving a widow, 1)ut no chil- 
dren, the same shall be exempt, and the rents and profits thereof shall 
accrue to her benefit during the time of her widowhood, unless she be the 
owner of a homestead in her own right. 

Sec. 5. The real and personal estate of every female, acquired before 
marriage, and all property to which she may afterwards become entitled by 
gift, grant, inheritance, or devise, shall be and remain the estate and prop- 
erty of such female, and shall not be liable for the debts, obligations, or 
engagements of her husband, and may be devised or bequeathed by her as 
if she were unmarried. 

ARTICLE XVII. 



Section 1. The militia shall be composed of all able bodied Avhite male 
citizens between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, except such as 
are exempted by the laws of the United States or of this State; but all 
such citizens, of any religious denomination whatever, who, from scruples 
of conscience, nniy be adverse to bearing arms, shall be excused therefrom, 
upon such conditions as shall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 2. The legislature shall provide by law fi)r organizing, equipping, 
and disciplining the militia, in such manner as they shall deem expedient, 
not incompatil)ie with the laws of the United Stales. 

Sec. 3. OHicors of the militia sliall be elected or appointed, and be com- 
missioned iu such manner as may be provided by law. 

ARTICLE XVIII. 

MISCELLANKODS PROVISIONS. 

Section 1. Members of the legislature, and all officers, executive and judi- 
cial, except such ofiicers as may by law be exempted, shall, before they 
enter ou the duties of their respective offices, take aud subscribe the follow- 



544 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

ing oat3i or affirmation : " I do solemnly swear (or affirm,) that I will sup- 
port the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of this State, 
and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of accord- 
ing to the best of my ability." And no other oath, declaration, or test, 
shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust. 

Sec. 2. When private property is taken for the use or benefit of the pub- 
lic, the necessity for using such property, and the just compensation to be 
made tlierefor, except when to be made by the State, shall be ascertained 
by a jury of twelve freeholders, residing in the vicinity of such property, 
or by not less than three commissioners, appointed by a court of record, as 
shall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 3. No mechanical trade shall hereafter be taught to convicts in the 
State prison of this State, except the manufacture of those articles of which 
the chief supply for home consumption is imported from other States or 
countries. 

Sec. 4. No navigable stream in this State shall be either bridged or 
dammed without authority from the board of supervisors of the i)roper 
county, under the provisions of law. No such law shall prejudice the right 
of individuals to the free navigation of such streams, or preclude the State 
from the further improvement of the navigation of such streams. 

Sec. 5. An accurate statement of the receipts and expenditures of the 
public moneys shall be attached to and published with the laws, at every 
regular session of the legislature. 

Sec. 6. The laws, public records, and the written judicial and legislative 
proceedings of the State shall be conducted, promulgated, and preserved in 
the English language. 

Sec. 7. Every person has a right to bear arms for the defence of himself 
and the State. 

Sec. 8. The military shall, in all cases, and at all times, be in strict sub- 
ordination to the civil power. 

Sec. 9. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house 
without the consent of the owner or occupant, nor in time of war, except in 
a manner prescribed by hnv. 

Sec. 10. The people have the right peaceably to assemble together, to 
consult for the common good, to instruct their representatives, and to ])cti- 
tion the legislature for redress of grievances. 

Sec. 11. Neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, unless for the punish- 
ment of crime, shall ever be tolerated in this State. 

Sec. 12. No lease or grant hereafter of agricultural land for a longer 
period than twelve years, reserving any rent or service of any kind, shall 
be valid. 

Sec. 13. Aliens who are, or who may hereafter become, 6ona/rfe residents 
of this State, shall enjoy the same rights in respect to the possession, enjoy- 
ment, and inheritance of property, as native born citizens. 

Sec. 14. The property of no person shall be taken for public use without 
just compensation therefor. Private roads may be opened in the manner 
to be prescribed by law ; but in every case the necessities of the road and 
the amount of all damage to be sustained by the opening thereof, shall be 
first determined by a jury of freeholders; and such amount, together with 
the expenses of proceedings, shall be paid by the person or persons to be 
benefited. 

Sec. 15. No general revision of the laws shall hereafter be made. When 
a reprint thereof becomes necessary, the legislature in joint convention shall 
appoint a suitable person to collect together such acts and parts of acts as 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 545 

are in force, and without alteration, arrange them under appropriate heads 
and titles. Tiie law? so arranged shall be submitted to two commissioners 
appointed by (lie governor, for examination, and if certified by them to be 
a correct compilation of all general laws iu force, shall be priuted iu such 
manner as shall be prescribed by law. 

ARTICLE XIX. 

UI'I'EIl PENINSULA. 

Seefion 1. The counties of ^Mackinaw, Chippewa, Delta, Marquette, 
Sclioulcraft, Houghton, and Ontonagon, and the islands and territory there- 
unto attached, the islands of Lakes Superior, Huron, and Michigan, and in 
(ireen Bay, and the Straits of Mackinaw and the River Ste. Marie, shall 
constitute a separate judicial district, and be entitled to a district judge and 
district attorney. 

aScc. 2. The district judge shall be elected by the electors of such district, 
and shall perform the same duties and possess the same powers us a circuit 
judge in his circuit, and .^hall hold his office for the same period. 

*S'(^c. 3. The district attorney shall be elected every two years by the elec- 
tors of the distri'-t, shall perform (he duties of prosecuting attorney through- 
out the entire district, and may issue warrants for the arrest of offenders in 
cases of felony, to be proceeded with as sjiall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 4. Sucii judicial district shall be entitled at all times to at least one 
senator; and until entitled to more by its population, it shall have three 
members of the hou: e of representatives, to be apportioned among the sev- 
eral counties by the legislature. 

Sec. [). The legislature may provide for the payment of the district judge 
a salary not exceeding one thousand dollars a year, and of the district attor- 
ney not exceeding seven hundred dollars a year; and may allow extra com- 
pensation to the members of the legislature from such territory, not exceed- 
ing two dollars a day duriug any session. 

Sec. G. The elections for all district and county officers. State senator or 
representatives, within (he boundaries defined in this article, shall take 
place on the last Tuesday of Sej^tember in the respective years iu which 
tluy may be rccpiired. The county canvass shall be held on the first Tues- 
day in October thereafter, and the district canvass ou the last Tuesday of 
said October. 

aSVc. 7. One-half of the taxes received into the treasury from mining cor- 
porations in the upper peninsula, paying an annual State tax of ono per 
cent., shall be paid to the treasurers of the counties from which it is received, 
to be applied f )r township and county purposes, as provided by law. The 
legislature shall have power, after the year one thousand eight hundred and 
fifty-live, to rediK'C the amount (o be refunded. 

Sec. S. The legislature may change the location of the State prison fn^ra 
Jackson to the upper peninsula. 

Sec. 9. The charters of the several mining corporations may be modified 
by the legislature, in regard to the term limited for subscribing to stock, 
and in relation to the quantity of land which a ct)rporation shall hold; but 
the capital shall not bo increased, nor the tini'^ f )r the existence of char- 
ters extended. No such corporation shall be permitted to purchase or li.)ld 
any real estate, except such as shall be necessary for the exercise of its 
corporate franchises. 

ARTICLE XX. 

AMENDMENT AND UKV18I0N OF TIIK CONSTITCTJON. 

Section 1. Any amendment or amendments to this constitution maj be 
2 I 



546 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

proposed in the senate or house of representatives. If the same shall be 
agreed to by two-tliirds of the members elected to each house, such amend- 
ment or amendments shall be entered on their journals respectively, with 
the yeas and nays taken thereon, and the same shall be submitted to the 
electors at the next general election thereafter ; and if a majority of the 
electors qualified to vote for members of the legislature voting thereon, 
shall ratify and approve such amendment or amendments, the same shall 
become part of the constitution. 

Sec. 2. At the general election to be held in the year one thousand eight 
hundred and sixty-six, and in each sixteenth year thereafter ; and also at 
such otlier times as the legislature may by law provide, the question of a 
general revision of the constitution shall be submitted to the electors quali- 
fied to vote for members of the legislature ; and in case a majority of the 
electors so qualified, voting at such election, shall decide in favor of a con- 
venticjn for such ])urpose, tbe legislature, at the next session, shall provide 
by law for the election of delegates to sucli convention. All tlie amend- 
ments shall take effect at the commencement of the political year after 
their adoption. 

SCHEDULE. 

Tiiat no inconvenience may arise from the changes in the constitution of 
this State, and in order to carry the same into complete operation, it is 
hereby declared, that 

ISedlon 1. The common law, and the statute laws now in force, not repug- 
nant to this constitution, shall remain in force until they expire by their 
own limitations, or arc altered or repealed by the legislature. 

Sec. 2. All writs, actions, causes of action, prosecutions and rights of in- 
dividuals and of bodies corporate, and of the State, and all charters of in- 
corporation, shall C(jntinuc ; and all indictments which have been f)uud, 
or wliich may hereafter be found, for any crime or offense commitied 
before the adoption of tliis constitution, may be proceeded upon as if no 
change had taken place. The several courts, except as herein otherwise 
provided, shall continue with the like powers and jurisdiction, botli at law 
and in equity, as if this constitution had not been adopted, and until the 
organization of tlie judicial department under this constitution. 

Sec. 3. Tliat all fines, penalties, forfeitures, and escheats accruing to the 
State of IMichigan under the present constitution and laws, shall accrue to 
the use of the State under this constitution. 

Sec. 4. Tiiat all recognizances, bonds, obligations, and all other instru- 
ments entered into or executed before the adoption of this constitution, to 
the i)e()ple of the State of Michigan, to any State, county or township, or 
any public officer or public body, or which maybe euteretl into or executed 
under existing laws "to the i)eople of the State of IMichigan," to any such 
officer or pul)lic l)ody, befi)rc the complete organization of the departiuents 
of government under this constitution, shall remain binding and valid; and 
rights and liabilities upon the same shall continue, and nuiy be prosecuted 
as provided by law. And all crimes and misdemeanors and penal actions, 
shall be tried, punished and prosecuted, as though no change had taken 
place, until otherwise provided by law. 

Sec 5. A govern(;r and lieutenant governor shall be chosen under the 
existing constitution and laws, to serve after the expiration of the term of 
the present incumbent. 

Sec. 6. All officers, civil and military, now holding any office or appoint- 
ment, shall continue to hold their respective offices, unless removed by com- 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 547 

potent authority, until superseded under tlie laws now in force, or under 
this constitution. 

t^'cc. 7. '1 lie members of the senate and house of representatives of the 
Icirishitiirc oi' ( i;c thousand eight hundred and fifty-one shall continue in 
ofiice, under the provisions of law, until superseded by their successors, 
elected and qualified under this constitution. 

Sec. 8. All county cfiicers, unless removed by competent authority, shall 
continue to hold their respective (fficcs until the first day of January, in 
the year one thousand ei,i;lit hundred and fifty-three. The laws now in force 
as to the election, (iua]iticati( n, and duties of township officers shall con- 
tinue in force until the legislature shall, in conformity to the provisions of 
this constitution, provide for the holding of elections to fill such offices, and 
prescribe the duties of .such officers respectively. 

t'cc. 9. On the first day of January, in the year one thousand eight hun- 
dred and filty-two, the terms of ( ffice of the judges of the supreme court 
under existing laws, and of the judges of the county courts, and of the 
clerks of the sui)nme court, shall expire on the said day. 

aScc. 10. On the first day of January, in the year one thousand eight hun- 
dred and fiity-two, the juiisdiction of all suits and j)roceedings then i)end- 
ing in the present supreme court shall become vested in the supreme court 
established by this constitution, and shall be finally adjudicated by the 
court where the same maybe ]iending. The jurisdiction of all suits and 
I)roceedings at law and equity, then pending in the circuit courts and county 
courts for the several counties shall become vested in the circuit court of 
the said counties and district court of the ui)pcr peninsula. 

Sec. 11. The j)robate courts, the courts of justices of the peace, and the 
police court authorized by an act entitled '* an act to establish a police 
court in the city of Detroit," approved Ajiril second, one thousand eight 
hundred and filty, shall continue to exercise the jurisdiction and powers 
now conferred upon them respectively, until otherwise provided by law. 

Sec. 12. The ofiice of State printer shall be vested in the present incum- 
bent until the exi)iration of the term for which he was elected under the 
law then in force; and all the provisions of the said law relating to his 
duties, rights, privileges, and compensation, shall remain unimpaired and 
inviolate until the expiration of his said term of office. 

Sec. '['•]. It shall be the duty of the legislature, at their first session, to 
ada])t the jn-esent laws to the provisions of this constitution, as far as may be. 

Sec. 14. Tlie attorney general of the State is required to prepare and re- 
port to the legislature, at the commencement of the next se.«sion, such 
changes and modifications in existing laws as may be deemed necessary to 
adaj)t the same to this constitution, and as may be best calculated to carry 
into effect its provisions ; and he shall receive no additional compensation 
therefor. 

Sec. lij. Any territory attached to any county for judicial purposes, if 
not otherwise represented, shall be considered as forming part of such 
countv, so far as regards elections fir the purpose of representation. 

[Sections IG, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21, referring to the mode of voting for 
the new constitution, are omitted, not having any direct connection with 
the instrument.] 

Sec. 22. Every county except iNIackinaw and Chippewa, entitled to a repre- 
sentative in the legislature, at the time of the adoption of this constitution, 
shall continue to be so entitled under this constitution ; and the county of 
Saginaw, with the territory that may be attached, shall be entitled to one 
representative ; the county of Tuscola, and the territory that may be attach- 



548 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 

ed, one representative ; the county of Sanilac and the territory that may 
be attached, one representative; the counties of Midland and Arenac, 
[Bay,] with the territory that maybe attached, one representative; the 
ciiuiity of Montcalm, with the territory that may be attached thereto, one 
representative; and the counties of Newaygo and Oceana, with the territory 
that may be attached thereto, one representative. Each county having a 
ratio of representation and a fraction over, equal to a moiety of said ratio, 
shall be entitled to two representatives, and so on above that number, giv- 
ing one additional member for each additional ratio. 

^Sec. 23. The cases pending and undisposed of in the late court of chan- 
cery, at tlie time of the adoption of this constituti(ni, shall continue to be 
heard and determined by the judges of the supreme court. But the legis- 
lature shall, at its session in one thousand eight hundred and fifty-cme, pro- 
vide by law for the transfer of said causes tluit may remain undisposed of 
on the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, to 
the supreme or circuit court, established by thisconstitutiim, or require that 
the same may be heard and determined by the circuit judges. 

Sec. 21. The term of office of the governor and lieutenant governor shall 
commence on the first day of January next after their electi(jn. 

Sec. 25. The territory described in the article entitled " Upper Peninsula," 
shall be attached to and constitute a part of the third circuit for the elec- 
tion of a regent of the university. 

Sec. 26. The legislature shall have authority, after the expiration of the 
term of office of the district judge first elected for the upper peninsula, to 
abolish said office of district judge and district attorney, or either of them. 

Sec. 27. The legislature shall, at its session of one tliousand eight hun- 
dred and fifty-one, apportion the representatives among the several counties 
and districts, and divide the State into senate districts, pursuant to the 
provisions of this constitution. 

Sec. 28. The terms of office of all State and county officers, of the circuit 
judges, members of the board of education, and members of the legislature, 
shall begin on tlie first day of January next succeeding their election. 

Sec. 29. The State, exclusive of the upper peniusuhi,sluvll be divided into 
eight judicial circuits, and the counties of Monroe, Lenawee, and Hillsdale, 
shall constitute the first circuit; the counties of Branch, St. Joseph, Cass, 
and Berrien, shall constitute the second circuit; the county of Wayne shall 
constitute the third circuit; the counties of Washtenaw, Jackson, and Ing- 
ham, shall constitute the fourth circuit; the counties of Calhoun, Kalama- 
zoo, Allegan, Eaton, and Van Buren, shall constitute the fifth circuit; [the] 
counties of St. Clair, Macomb, Oakland, and Sanilac, shall constitute the 
sixth circuit; the counties of Lapeer, Genesee, Saginaw, Shiawassee, Liv- 
ingston, Tuscola, and Midland, shall constitute the seventh circuit; and 
the counties of Barry, Kent, Ottawa, Ionia, Clinton, and Montcalm shall 
constitute the eighth circuit. 

Done in convention, at the capital of the State, this fifteenth day of 
August, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty, and 
of the independence of the United States the seventv-fifth. 

D. GOODWIN, President. 



AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. 

On the 8th of November, 1870, the people of ^Michigan voted upon the 
ratification of four amendments to the State constitution, as follows : Fird, 



MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 549 

an ameiulment striking out the word " white" wherever it occurs in the 
f)rganic hvw ; Second, authorizing the board of supervisors of any county 
to I)orr()W or raise by tax two thousand dollars, for constructing or repair- 
ing public buildings, highways, or bridges, but no greater anaount without 
the sanction of the electors of such county; Third, an amendment f)r in- 
creasing the salaries of the State executive and judicial officers; and Fourfh, 
an amendment authorizing the legislature to pass laws establishing certain 
charges on the railroads of the State, prohibiting running contracts between 
railroad com[)anies with certain discriminations, also prohibiting the con- 
solidation of stock, property, or franchises between parallel or competing 
lines of railroads without due notice to stockholders, and finally, that the 
legislature may provide by law for the payment by counties, townships, and 
municipalities of the State, of all bonds or other obligations heretofore 
issued in aid of railroads, subject to the will of the electors of each county. 
As the concluding page of this volume is passing through the press, it is 
quite impossible to ascertain the official result of the election on these 
amendments; but according to the latest newspaper reports, they have all 
been defeated excepting the two articles, placing railroad tariffs under the 
control of the legislature, and forbidding the consolidation of competing 
lines of railroads, and perhaps the amendment on suffrage. 












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